ANKARA - Latvia supports Turkey's bid to join the European Union in order to show that countries with different religions can co-exist, visiting Latvian President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said here Tuesday.
"We stand ready to share our (EU accession) experience and offer our support whenever possible," Vike-Freiberga told reporters after talks with her Turkish counterpart Ahmet Necdet Sezer.
"We consider it important to show that countries with a Christian heritage and countries like Turkey with a Muslim heritage can live together under a secular system that everybody abides by, at the same time respecting the values -- moral, spiritual and cultural -- that each holds dear," she said.
Turkey is scheduled to begin accession talks with the EU on October 3.
Vike-Freiberga, who is also among the envoys of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan tasked with promoting reforms in the UN ahead of a General Assembly summit in September, said she discussed the proposed changes with Sezer.
"I am very pleased to hear the agreement he has on the necessity of these reforms," she said.
Sezer welcomed Latvia's support for Turkey's EU membership bid and stressed that the countries should step up efforts to boost bilateral trade and economic cooperation.
04/19/2005 13:51 GMT