SOFIA - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, ''the European Union (EU) will have a test against Turkey in December of 2004. If the EU fails to set a date for opening of accession talks with Turkey, it will deeply distress our people.''
Holding a joint press conference together with Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha of Bulgaria, Prime Minister Erdogan, who is currently paying an official visit to Bulgaria, said, ''the trade volume between Turkey and Bulgaria increased to 1.3 billion U.S. dollars as of end-2003. Turkey is the fifth biggest economic and commercial partner of Bulgaria.''
Upon a question about Turkey's EU membership process, Prime Minister Erdogan said, ''41 years have elapsed since our application to the EU. Turkey has made a significant progress in its efforts to fulfil the Copenhagen political criteria in the last two years. The EU will have a test against Turkey in December of 2004. If the EU fails to set a date for opening of accession talks with Turkey, it will deeply distress our people.''
Meanwhile, a cooperation agreement in education was signed by Turkish State Minister Besir Atalay and his Bulgarian counterpart earlier in the day.
SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA: ''WE SUPPORT TURKEY'S EU MEMBERSHIP PROCESS''
Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha of Bulgaria said on Tuesday that they fully supported Turkey's European Union (EU) membership process.
Prime Minister Saxe-Coburg-Gotha recalled that he had a chance to hold talks with Prime Minister Erdogan during NATO Summit in Istanbul last week.
Upon a question about Turkey's EU membership process, Prime Minister Saxe-Coburg-Gotha said that they hoped the accession talks between Turkey and the EU would start soon.
He added that Bulgaria fully supported Turkey's EU membership process.
(UK) 06.07.2004