ANKARA - Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that the decision made in Copenhagen was an important success for Turkey and added, ''nobody should try to show that the decision that was made at the end of Copenhagen summit was unsuccessful with some political considerations. Trying to show this decision as unsuccessful means behaving with narrow political consideration.''
Speaking at the group meeting of his party, Erdogan said that the German-French formula generated before the European Union (EU) Copenhagen summit did not give a clear date.
Erdogan noted that July 2005 was like an ''appointment date'' when membership negotiations with Turkey would be taken up and evaluated and that they did not accept it.
The decision that was made in Copenhagen was a date for a negotiation not an appointment, Erdogan stated.
Erdogan stressed that fulfillment of Copenhagen political criteria was a precondition for opening of negotiations with Turkey.
''We have not asked anybody to start negotiations before we fulfil Copenhagen political criteria. I consider such a demand as a disrespect and non-confidence against ourselves and our people,'' Erdogan said.
Erdogan said that they preferred opening of negotiations before December 2004 and that to this end, they based their contacts on this axis.
However, this result was an important acquisition in Turkey-EU relations, Erdogan noted.
Erdogan said, ''Turkey-EU relations have gone on a membership track, indefiniteness have been removed and a new stage has started. We believe we can reach membership target in unity and solidarity.''
They had to also meet Maastrich criteria in field of economy during the following one and a half years, Erdogan pointed out.
Erdogan drew the attention that EU norms had to be implemented in every field and that the European Commission would prepare a new Accession Partnership Document for Turkey. Then, he said, they would review and re-write National Policy.
The government, bureaucracy, private sector and all non-governmental organizations had to undertake serious responsibilities, Erdogan stated.
Erdogan noted that results would start to be taken as soon as all the obligations were fulfilled.
Adjustment to EU norms was sine qua non condition for living conditions and quality of living of Turkish people, Erdogan added.