Bagis: No Any Leader Could Have Returned From The E.U. Summit With A Better Result

ISTANBUL (AA) - Egemen Bagis, a deputy of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) from Istanbul and foreign relations senior advisor to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has stated that no any leader could have returned from the recent European Union summit with a better result.
     Participating in a meeting, titled ''December 17th EU Summit,'' and sponsored by the Turkish Young Businessmen's Association (TUGIAD) on Wednesday, Bagis elaborated on AK Party's ideology on foreign relations and economic developments.
     ''Turkey is one of the rare countries that has good ties with Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria. Our relations with the United States are very prominent. Then, there is the issue of Iraq. We have lost more lives compared to some countries that have military personnel in Iraq. Despite the loss of those precious lives, we will not stop sending humanitarian aid to Iraq,'' remarked Bagis. According to Bagis, Turkey's top priority in foreign relations is the EU.
     In response to a question on Cyprus, Bagis expressed that everyone wants to resolve this issue but that efforts have not reached a satisfactory level.
     ''The decision on Cyprus at the EU summit does not imply recognition of the Greek Cypriot administration by Turkey. There is no change to Turkey's policy toward Cyprus. Annan's plan, which envisaged the establishment of equal partners with equal rights, may come up on the agenda again with minor changes. Cyprus is not a matter of the EU but rather the United Nations,'' stated Bagis.
     Referring to upcoming referenda in Europe on Turkey's EU membership, Bagis stressed that his government is not afraid of any referendum.
     ''Turkey will complete the entry talks successfully. With its culture, geography and dynamic young work force, Turkey will be a country that the EU would want to see in its union. The EU will want Turkey in the union when Turkey reaches the EU economic standards. Interestingly, the Turkish public may not want to join the EU after it reaches similar standards. This is a decision up to the Turkish public,'' said Bagis.
     ''As far as our Iraq policy is concerned, Iraq is our neighbor. The ethnic groups of Turkmens, Arabs, Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis are all our relatives and brothers. We will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Iraq. We do not appreciate and will give lesson to those who do not value our assistance with time,'' told Bagis.
     (ES-MS)
2004-12-22