BERLIN - Turkish-German Parliamentary Friendship Group Chairman Ahmet Yasar said on Wednesday that the German public opinion should also be ready for Turkey's European Union (EU) membership.
Yasar, accompanied by 24 Turkish parliamentarians, visited Berlin-Brandenburg Turkish-German Businessmen's Association.
Ahmet Yasar said that politicians should act in line with reactions of the public opinion, and therefore, the German public opinion should also be ready for Turkey's EU membership.
The EU should start membership negotiations with Turkey for more developed reforms in Turkey, Yasar noted.
Yasar said that the parliamentary group was paying a visit to Germany in order to further improve their friendship with the Germans and to get support of the Germans to beginning of Turkey's full membership negotiations with the EU.
The group earlier met with Wolfgang Schaeuble, the vice-chairman of the CDU/CSU group in the German Bundestag.
Schaeuble said that even though the EU started negotiations with Turkey, they defended that this talks should be on ''privileged partnership'', not full membership.
The group will continue their meetings in German capital Berlin on Thursday.
The EU announced Turkey's candidacy at the Helsinki Summit in 1999. The Union is expected to decide whether or not to open full membership negotiations with Turkey in its summit in December 2004.
(BRC) 30.06.2004