EU agrees to open new accession chapter with Turkey

PanARMENIAN.Net - The European Union has agreed to open a new chapter with Turkey but postponed negotiations until after the presentation of the Commission’s Annual Progress Report and a discussion of the General Affairs Council (GAC) in October, Hurriyet Daily News reported.

The proposal was submitted by Germany, which suggested postponing the new round of EU membership talks with Turkey by about four months to signal the bloc’s displeasure at the crackdown on anti-government protests.

During the GAC the bloc will confirm the common position of the council on the opening of Chapter 22 and determine the date for the Accession Conference.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu praised the decision and said there would be no delay under any circumstances. “We agreed with German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle on a text that declared the opening of Chapter 22 on regional policies,” Davutoğlu told reporters, adding that further procedures and technical meetings would be announced in the coming days.

“I hope that there will no longer be a short-term crisis. When you read the text, the first sentence says that they opened a new chapter,” he said.

The top diplomat was engaged in intense telephone diplomacy before the decision of the ministers. He held phone conversations with his German, Swedish and Dutch counterparts as well as EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and EU Commissioner Stefan Füle.

Füle and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt welcomed the agreement. Bildt said the decision was important for the EU. “[It is] important that the EU now takes the key decision to open Chapter 22 in Turkey accession talks. Exact timing was never key issue in this regard,” he wrote on his Twitter account.