BERLIN - Turkish Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc met on Tuesday with the leader of Christian Democrats (CDU) Angela Merkel.
Speaking at the meeting, Arinc said they were not emotional about Turkey's membership to the European Union (EU) and that they wanted to set up relations in line with Turkey's interests.
Arinc said reforms continued in Turkey, stating that Turkey was resolved to be a full member of the EU.
Arinc called on the criteria, implemented for the Greek Cypriot side, to be implemented also for Turkey.
Merkel in her part said there was consensus of opinion for discussion of Turkey's membership after setting a date for Turkey to start full membership negotiations.
Merkel said they followed the reforms fulfilled in Turkey and that they appreciated them, stressing that they were not against Turkish presence in Germany.
Merkel said they did not have any negative view regarding Turkey's EU membership and noted that they did not pursue a harsh attitude on this.
(AY-AÖ) 15.06.2004