We Have Looked At Reforms Made As Not Concessions To E.U. But Rather As Gain Of Our People, Babacan

(DIP)

BRUSSELS - Turkey's Foreign Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU talks Ali Babacan said Tuesday "the Turkish government has looked at reforms made as not concessions to the EU but rather as the gain of the Turkish people".
Speaking at the meeting of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Commission in Brussels, Babacan said that various EU members want to divert Turkey from its goal of full EU membership.
"Many chapters wait to be opened due to political attitudes of various countries. The opening of a chapter and its ceremony takes only 15 minutes. Turkey can not wait. And so we thought that Turkey should move ahead", Babacan said.
"We continue to make reforms by believing that these reforms are to the benefit of the Turkish people", Babacan also said.
European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn said that Turkey should not expect the membership negotiations to be concluded rapidly.
"As the other candidate countries, there are many stops on Turkey's path to the EU", Rehn said.
We check these stops so that progress is made within EU standards and that Turkey's engine functions better, Rehn also said.

(SOL)