Turkey indignant about not being invited at EU summit

PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey criticized Germany on Tuesday for not inviting the country, a candidate for European Union membership, to a summit marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome, saying it was a missed opportunity to showcase a united European family.



European leaders are set to meet in Berlin on March 24-25 for a summit marking the treaty that launched the European common market. They are set to issue a declaration that they hope will give momentum to prospects of an EU constitution and revive support among citizens for the EU, which remains low in many member states.



Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Levent Bilman said in a statement issued Tuesday that, while summit organizers were free to decide who to invite, Turkey and other countries that hoped to join the bloc should also have been asked to attend.



"Had Germany invited candidate countries to the event, it would have served as a meaningful development that would have showcased the unity of the European family," Bilman said.



The predominantly Muslim country began EU membership talks in October 2005, but EU leaders partially froze negotiations in December because of Turkey's refusal to open its ports to EU-member Cyprus.



German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the summit's host, is skeptical about Turkey joining the EU. In opposition, she called for a "privileged partnership" for the mainly Muslim country that would fall short of membership, reports International Herald Tribune.