ISTANBUL - Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Sami Guclu said on Friday that the Netherlands would have an important role in the aspect of Turkey's expectations of the European Union (EU) and added that Dutch private sector and official circles have gained a belief that Turkey would enter EU.
Guclu who went to the Netherlands as the guest of Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality Cees Veerman returned to Turkey.
Guclu said that the Netherlands and Turkey have made an intensive cooperation in agricultural field and added that economic and political relations between two countries were on good level.
Noting that EU term presidency would be transferred to the Netherlands in the second half of the year, Guclu said that the Netherlands would play an important role for Turkey's expectations for December 2004.
Guclu said that he signed a cooperation protocol with Veerman on agricultural field.
Guclu said that Dutch private sector and official circles have gained a belief that Turkey would enter EU and they were exerting efforts in cooperation issue.
Guclu said that the expectations of the Netherlands and Turkey were completing each other, adding that the Netherlands had the desire to make investment and cooperation in the fields which Turkey was in search. He said that Turkey and Netherlands relations would make good progress.
(GC-UK) 30.01.2004