Turkey won’t lose appetite for full EU membership – Minister

PanARMENIAN.Net - Although the European Union's approach toward membership candidate Turkey is not encouraging at all, Turkey will not lose its appetite and determination for full membership in the union, EU Minister Egemen Bağış has stated.

“The EU's attitude towards us is like a teacher who does not want his student to pass the class. The same attitude can be seen within the latest progress report, too,” Bağış said in an interview with the Aksiyon magazine, referring to the progress report on Turkey which was released by the European Commission last week, Today’s Zaman reported.

“However, we are no longer considering the EU as a teacher. Turkey is no longer a student that accepts a ‘well done' from the EU whenever it performs successfully. Whether they appreciate the reforms carried out in Turkey or not, we will continue making progress on the way in which we assume is the right way for us,” Bağış said.

The EU minister replied in the affirmative when asked whether it was possible to say “Turkey is becoming Europeanized despite the EU.”

According to Bağış, the EU, which “has become weaker both politically and economically, needs new members, and Turkey, with its young population, can heal the problems stemming from Europe's steadily ageing population.”