BRUSSELS - Turkish Agriculture and Rural Affairs Minister Sami Guclu met on Monday Joe Borg, the European Commissioner for fisheries and maritime affairs, and Mariann Fischer Boel, the Commissioner for agriculture and rural development.
Guclu is currently in Brussels to exchange views with the European Commission members before the start of Turkey's entry talks with the European Union (EU) and to convey them the developments.
Guclu said Turkey supported the EU for protection of fish stocks in the Mediterranean and arrangements to be made regarding sustainable hunting and expressed Turkey's readiness for joint action.
Guclu also said Turkey Rural Development Strategy was prepared, and called on technical support for development of the strategy as Rural Development Plan.
Guclu asked the EU to start screening process on ''Agriculture and Rural Development'', ''Veterinary, Plant Health, Food Safety'' and ''Fishery'', which will be among the topics of EU entry talks scheduled to start on October 3rd, 2005.