Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 11
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkey has not changed its strategy towards the EU, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ismail Alper Coskun said in an exclusive interview with Trend Feb. 11.
He said that a thaw in the EU's relation towards Turkey has been observed during the last year, adding that the reason is the Syrian refugee crisis.
"Finally, the EU has begun to realize Turkey's importance amid the Syrian refugee crisis," the diplomat said. "But I think that recalling Turkey only during the crisis time is a mistake on the part of the EU."
The ambassador also said that the EU-Turkey negotiations were delayed due to political obstacles, adding that for example, France blocked the opening of new points of talks with Turkey.
"The Turkish society does not trust the EU any more following the delay in the EU-Turkey negotiations," the diplomat said. "But at the same time, if we look through the priorities of the governments in Turkey recently, we can see that a full membership in the EU has always been a priority for Ankara."
The ambassador also said that Ankara in all senses is the EU's important partner, adding that when Turkey becomes an EU member, the Union will benefit from it.
He added that the EU is expected to create new points of negotiations with Turkey.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
