Ankara pleased with EP report on Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish State Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis said Friday the adoption of a report on Turkey by 528 European Parliament (EP) deputies is an affirmation of Turkey's accession process.



Speaking to reporters at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport after a trip to the Czech Republic, Bagis said that the EP report is overall a balanced one.



Compared to the previous years, the EP report is more constructive and makes a call to strengthen Turkey's efforts for full membership to the EU, Bagis said.



"The absence of "1915 incidents" in the report and a clear referral to PKK as a terrorist organization within the report are very important. The EP report is the joint report of 27 EU countries representing eight different political parties and it is a balanced one," Bagis said.



In reference to a question on the upcoming visit of U.S. President Barack Obama to Turkey, Bagis said that this visit is an indication of where Turkey has come globally.



"Turkey is not merely a member of the UN Security Council. It is a country that continues negotiations with the EU and runs the Secretariat General of the Organization of Islamic Conference. The fact that Turkey has become a country that is consulted with in global matters should be a matter of pride for all of us," Bagis said.