The US President has urged the EU to begin talks to bring Turkey into the European Union
Published:
27 June 2004 y., Sunday
The US President has urged the EU to begin talks to bring Turkey into the European Union.
"As Turkey meets the EU standards for membership, the European Union should begin talks that will lead to full membership for the republic of Turkey", Mr Bush told Journalists after an EU-US summit in Dromoland, Ireland.
Mr Bush’s comments came just hours before he arrives in Turkey for a NATO summit.
"Turkey is a proud nation that successfully blends a European identity with Islamic traditions", he said.
External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten said that the EU alone would decide if Turkey had met the criteria to begin talks on membership adding that he understood Mr Bush’s interest.
"America has a geo-strategic interest in a democracy in a modern Islamic state being consolidated", he said.
The Commission is scheduled to present its opinion on whether Ankara has fulfilled the political criteria for membership of the 25 country bloc in October. On the basis of this report, EU leaders will then decide in December if formal membership negotiations should be opened with the country.
Šaltinis:
EUOBSERVER / DROMOLAND
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė congratulated her Italian counterpart, President Giorgio Napolitano, on the Italian national holiday, the Republic Day.
more »
The European Union supports and promotes the region through the Baltic Sea Strategy, specially designed to encourage regional cooperation.
more »
One of the most important topics for Lithuania - efforts to overcome energy isolation of Lithuania and other Baltic States and to strengthen energy security in the Baltic Sea region – is included into the agenda of the Baltic Development Forum (BDF) Summit, which started on 1 June in Vilnius.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė will have a meeting with the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, in Vilnius.
more »
On 28 May in Vilnius, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis met with ambassadors of NATO countries, who reside in Lithuania.
more »
New British Foreign Secretary William Hague sent a letter to Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs A. Ažubalis, highlighting the determination to continue and to broaden the close working relationship that the UK and Lithuania shares both bilaterally and within the framework of the EU and NATO.
more »
At the meeting of foreign ministers from the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on 25-26 May in Madrid, Lithuania’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Šarūnas Adomavičius invited Southeast Asian countries to contribute to the implementation of projects in the province of Ghor, Afghanistan, where Lithuania leads a Provincial Reconstruction Team.
more »
On 27 May in Vilnius, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis met with prominent figure of the world’s Lithuanian community, scientist and conservationist Dr. Birutė Galdikas.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė extended congratulations to President Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia on national holiday - Republic Day.
more »
Next Tuesday, June 1 at 17.00 hours, President Dalia Grybauskaitė will meet with the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Angela Merkel, who will be in Vilnius on a working visit.
more »