BRUSSELS - European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said Tuesday that the election of Abdullah Gul as Turkey's new president could provide fresh impetus to Ankara's EU membership talks.
The election and the arrival to power of a new government "provides an opportunity to give fresh, immediate and positive impetus to the accession process to the European Union through progress in a number of key areas," Barroso said in a statement.
After being forced to a third round of voting, the Turkish parliament elected Gul, currently Turkey's foreign minister, the secular republic's first head of state with an Islamist past.
Barroso said: "I am confident that you will fulfil your task with a strong sense of duty and commitment to your country and fellow citizens."
Turkey was made an official candidate to join the EU in October 2005 but its long quest to join has been dogged by problems, in part due to its slow progress on democratic and justice reforms.
08/28/2007 14:51 GMT