Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said in parliament on 9 November 2004 that Türkiye would work toward EU membership but would not pursue it on any terms.
Speaking during debate on the 2005 foreign affairs budget, Gul said Brussels had initially been reluctant to consider a candidate as large as Türkiye, but felt compelled to engage after Ankara delivered a broad program of democratic reforms to align with EU standards.
He called the European Commission's 6 October report clearing Türkiye for accession talks a major achievement, while objecting to two conditions the Commission proposed for EU leaders to consider at their 17 December summit on whether to open negotiations.
Gul said Ankara could accept temporary restrictions on the free movement of Turkish nationals within the bloc, but would reject any permanent or open-ended limitation. He added that Türkiye would only agree to a suspension of negotiations in cases of serious democratic backsliding, not for other reasons.
"We will do our best and see what happens," he told legislators.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in November 2004, in its own words.