Gül Voices Full Confidence in EU's October Assessment

Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül said in Tallinn on 9 September 2004 that he expected the European Commission's forthcoming October report to be favorable to Türkiye, clearing the path for a December decision by EU leaders on whether to open formal accession talks with Ankara.

Gül credited two years of post-Copenhagen reforms for putting Türkiye past a key threshold in its candidacy. The country remained the only EU aspirant that had not yet entered formal negotiations with the 25-member bloc.

Estonian Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland expressed Tallinn's backing for Türkiye's EU bid, saying Estonia had no intention of standing in the way of membership once the Copenhagen criteria were satisfied.

Gül acknowledged that accession negotiations typically run for years, citing Spain's eight-year process as a reference point for larger-country candidacies.

His Baltic tour was to continue with stops in Latvia and Lithuania. EU enlargement commissioner Günter Verheugen, wrapping up a four-day visit to Türkiye, praised the country's reform record while pressing for firmer action on torture and urging officials to drop proposals to recriminalize adultery.

Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in September 2004, in its own words.