ISTANBUL - A senior official of the European Union (EU) said Saturday that he believes Turkey and the union will accomplish greater things in the future.
The president of the European Commission (EC) emphasized Turkey-EU joint future in a press conference he told in the Turkish metropolis, Istanbul before he departed from Turkey.
"I am leaving Turkey with a deep respect for everything Turkey has achieved so far," president Jose Manuel Barroso told reporters at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport.
Barroso qualified his visit as fruitful for Turkey-EU relations and expressed pleasure with Turkey's hospitality.
The EC president said he knows Turkey is having big discussions on political, economic and social reforms, told reporters that he gave messages to not only the government and the premier of Turkey but also all political groups to support reforms to bring Turkey closer to the union.
Barroso said the EU cannot remain indifferent to developments in Turkey, and told reporters that the union is committed to its common future with Turkey and full membership negotiations with this country.
Earlier on Saturday, Barroso had breakfast with some journalists at the Ciragan Palace,had a boat tour on the Bosphorus, visited fish market at Kumkapi port and the Topkapi Palace.
Accompanied by European Commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn, Barroso arrived in the Turkish capital, Ankara on April 10th. Barroso met President Abdullah Gul; Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan; Deniz Baykal, chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP); Devlet Bahceli, the chairman of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP); Ahmet Turk, the chairman of the Democratic Society Party group at the parliament.
Barroso also addressed the Turkish parliament.
Proceeding to Istanbul on April 11th, Barroso and Rehn met Foreign Minister Ali Babacan and spoke at the Bilgi University.
Barroso visited Sakip Sabanci Museum, Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and Istanbul Mufti's Office, and attended a dinner hosted by Marc Pierini, the head of the delegation of the European Commission to Turkey.
Turkey became an EU candidate country in December 1999. The union launched accession talks with Turkey on October 3rd, 2005.
(BRC)