ATHENS (AA) - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that the Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis has supported and continues to support Turkey's bid to join the European Union as a full member.
Appearing on the Greek MEGA channel after midnight, Erdogan commented on several issues including Turkish-Greek, Turkey-EU relations and Cyprus.
Erdogan said that Karamanlis and he established good friendly relations before coming to power as Turkish prime minister. ''Our friendship got better with time. Both Mr. and Mrs. Karamanlis attended our daughter's wedding in Turkey. This was something that could not have been imagined ten years ago,'' told Erdogan.
Erdogan remarked that Turkey expects a firm date from the European Union on December 17 to begin entry talks. ''We are thankful to Mr. Karamanlis for his continued support of Turkey in the EU,'' expressed Erdogan.
In response to a question on the Aegean matters, Erdogan stated that meetings between technocrats are still going on. ''Once technocrats complete their task, it will be the politicians' turn to deal with these matters,'' said Erdogan. In reference to ''violations'' in the Aegean, Erdogan told that Turkey supports bilateral discussions. ''We have to protect peace. Both Turkish and Greek media must act responsibly. We should not escalate tension between our peoples,'' remarked Erdogan.
Replying to a question on Cyprus, Erdogan expressed that while the Turkish Cypriots accepted the Annan plan, the Greek Cypriots rejected the plan. ''Turkey has expanded the customs union in such a way that the Greek Cypriots have been included. We will take note of the attitude of EU member countries on December 17 and decide accordingly,'' told Erdogan.
Erdogan reminded the viewers that Turkey has kept its promises towards Europe and will continue its reforms as required by the European Union.
(ES-A֩
2004-12-15