Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Türkiye will not surrender its industrial, social, economic, or cultural interests in pursuit of European Union membership, speaking at the opening of a new Şişecam glassware plant in Bursa.
Erdoğan noted that roughly 60 to 65 percent of Türkiye's exports go to EU member states, arguing the country must approach relations with Brussels pragmatically rather than emotionally. "We will do whatever our best interests require," he said.
The prime minister also highlighted economic progress since his Justice and Development Party (AKP) took office in 2002. He said Türkiye's economy expanded at an average annual rate of 7.6 percent over four consecutive years, with industry playing a central role.
Total investments climbed from 46 billion dollars in 2002 to 95.3 billion dollars in 2005, while private investment reached 74.6 billion dollars over the same period. The number of new company registrations rose from 30,842 in all of 2002 to 33,049 in just the first half of 2006.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in September 2006, in its own words.