BRUSSELS - Wilfried Martens, the President of the European People's Party (EPP), expressed belief on Tuesday that Turkey should become an EU member.
Taking the floor in a meeting hosted by Turkish Private Sector Association (TOSED), Martens said, ''this (Turkey's EU membership) will enhance dialogue among different religions and cultures.''
Martens noted that Turkey can become an EU member after it eliminates all shortcomings in human rights, democracy, and minority rights.
''(Turkish) PM (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan rejected the privileged partnership option. And we told him that the EU path is a long one. Britain's negotiations lasted for 11 years, and it was vetoed twice. The same thing can happen to Turkey. Hard days are on the way,'' he indicated.