BERLIN (CÝHAN) - German Foreign Minister Joscka Fisher advised Turkey to persuade France and Austria to agree to Turkey's EU membership.
Attending a meal with Turkish politicians in Berlin, Fischer said that certain EU members are still cool to Turkey's accession into the wealthy bloc. "The persuasion of Austria and France for Turkey's full membership is important."
The new Austrian President Heinz Fischer has said in the Turkish daily Aksam that the European Union is not ready to accept Turkey as a member and needs more time to assimilate recently joined members.
The German Foreign Minister reiterated his support for Turkey's EU membership. "Apart from my ministerial office, personally I support Turkey's accession into the European Union. The EU membership of Muslim Turkey in the European Union will accelerate the intercultural dialogue within the Union.
"We have no right to say no to Turkey which was promised membership in the EU 40 years ago. We should honestly give an accession date to Turkey at the December 12th EU Summit."
EU leaders are due to meet in December to decide whether Turkey, a candidate country since 1999, has made enough progress on human rights and political freedoms for the initiation of the long-delayed accession talks with the EU.
Turkey is hoping to begin accession talks with the EU commission in December now that it has legislated numerous EU-inspired reforms in recent years, which have been praised by EU leaders.
The European Union pledged to open accession talks with Turkey without delay if Turkey fulfills the Copenhagen political criteria, according to the final joint declaration of the EU leaders' Summit on Friday.