BRUSSELS - Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul said on Friday that EU Enlargement Commissioner Guenter Verheugen and he had discussed process of Turkey's integration with the EU.
Holding a joint news conference after his meeting with Verheugen in Brussels, Gul said that they had also taken up reforms and implementations.
Gul said that they would make evaluation of the joint letter of invitation of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to Turkish and Greek Cypriot sides when they returned to Ankara.
Meanwhile, Verheugen said that relations between Turkey and the EU were currently better than ever, adding that every matter had been discussed at their meeting, and there would not be last-minute surprises in the Progress Report for Turkey to be prepared by the EU Commission at the end of the year and Turkey would be informed beforehand in case of a problem.
Noting that his visit to Turkey together with EU Commission President Romano Prodi was important and positive and there was compromise over many issues, Verheugen said they were pleased with resumption of Cyprus talks.
Stressing importance of the positive role that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Gul were playing, Verheugen said that his optimism about finding a solution to the Cyprus issue before May 1 had increased, and the EU would make every possible contribution to negotiation process, but solution should be appropriate to EU values because they wanted a country with single voice.
Calling on the sides in Cyprus to make use of this opportunity, Verheugen said that also the EU would be represented in the talks and he might head a high-level EU team if it was necessary.
FOREIGN MINISTER GUL DEPARTS FROM BRUSSELS
Speaking to reporters prior to his departure, Gul said his meetings in Brussels were ''brief but intense and productive''.
Noting that issues like relations between Turkey and the EU, reforms and implementations and Cyprus had been discussed, Gul said he had explained the roles that Turkey would play in the region and within the EU and they had evaluated latest developments.
Replying a question, Gul said that they wished a solution would be found to the Cyprus issue before May 1 and the EU would help when there was a need for such an assistance.
(MS-AÖ) 06.02.2004