COPENHAGEN - Prime Minister of EU Term President Denmark, Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said that Turkey, by passing the EU adjustment reforms, was fulfilling the Copenhagen criteria.
Deputy Prime Minister Mesut Yilmaz and Rasmussen held a press conference after having a meeting on Tuesday morning.
Rasmussen praised the Turkish Parliament and people for passing the reforms and defined the act as a ''very positive development toward the right direction.''
Pointing to the implementation of these reforms and its importance, Rasmussen said that the EU Commission would include a comprehensive assessment about these reforms in its progress report.
Stating that everything cannot be achieved in one day, Rasmussen said they want to encourage Turkey and he stressed that these reforms should be implemented very quickly.
Yilmaz said he had a very friendly and constructive meeting with Rasmussen and that he briefed him about Turkey's reforms. He also reiterated that the EU should start membership talks with Turkey in the shortest time possible. Yilmaz said Turkey should receive the same treatment with other candidate countries.
The main point Yilmaz tried to convey during the meeting was that Turkey should definitely be given a date to start negotiations during the Copenhagen Summit in December, otherwise this would cause great disappointment among Turkish people.
EU Secretary General Volkan Vural, Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Akin Alptuna and Turkish Ambassador to Copenhagen Fugen Ok also attended Yilmaz-Rasmussen meeting.
Yilmaz will also meet with Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Muller at a lunch-on. Yilmaz will return home tonight after holding a press conference to Turkish journalists.