ANKARA - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said late on Friday, ``the European Union (EU)-member countries can base the relations with each other on a certain frame under the political criteria. This is integration.``
In an interview with the private Channel-7 TV, Prime Minister Erdogan said, ``the media in Turkey created a negative atmosphere by focusing on an issue which did not take place on Turkey`s agenda at all. Some circles in the EU benefited from this atmosphere. Finally, it turned into a crisis.``
``The EU-member countries can base the relations with each other on a certain frame under the political criteria. This is integration. Integration should not be connected to assimilation,`` he said.
Referring to his meetings with European Commission President Romano Prodi and European Union (EU) Commissioner Guenter Verheugen for Enlargement in Brussels on Thursday, Prime Minister Erdogan said that they had removed all misunderstandings at the meetings.
Recalling that the parliament would convene on Sunday at an emergency session, Prime Minister Erdogan said that the draft penal code, the draft about the appellate courts to be established in eight regions and the draft about Code of Civil Procedure would be enacted at the session.
``If the EU sets a date for opening of entry negotiations with Turkey, our duty will become more difficult. In that case, the non-governmental organizations will also have significant responsibilities. Also, opening of the entry negotiations does not mean that Turkey will experience miracles. But foreign investors will have a more positive impression about Turkey. Actually, their views about Turkey have already changed. Direct foreign capital increased to 1.8 billion U.S. dollars in the first half of the year. The amount of direct foreign capital is expected to rise up to 2.5 billion U.S. dollars before the end of the year,`` he said.
Prime Minister Erdogan added, ``some circles claimed that I had pledged that Turkey would adopt a second official language in addition to Turkish during the meetings in Brussels. These allegations are totally baseless. Mr. Verheugen`s spokesman Jean-Christophe Filori also denied these claims.``
(UK) 25.09.2004