MERSIN - Justice Minister Cemil Cicek has said, ''we hope that the European Union (EU) will set a date for opening of accession talks with Turkey at its summit in December of 2004.''
Cicek visited on Saturday the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Provincial Office in southern province of Mersin.
Noting that the foreign press had begun giving place to positive news stories and comments about Turkey, Cicek said, ''our government has been exerting efforts to reach its target of the EU membership. We hope that the EU will set a date for opening of accession talks with Turkey at its summit in December of 2004. Any negative decision will reveal that the EU treated Turkey in a different way from the other candidate states. The EU membership depends on fulfillment of political criteria. EU officials have already affirmed that Turkey has been fulfilling its commitments rapidly.''
Pointing out that very important meetings would take place this year, Cicek said, ''NATO Summit, one of the most important summits in the beginning of the 21st century, will be held in Istanbul in June. Heads of state and government of 54 countries will attend the summit in which NATO will make the most important decisions of its history. Meanwhile, meeting of foreign ministers of Islam countries and meeting of ministers of more than 30 member countries to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will also take place in Turkey. All these summits and meetings are significant chances to make Turkey a world state. Therefore, 2004 will be a milestone for Turkey.''
(UK-MS) 21.02.2004