Gul: EU should keep its promisesMarch 28, 2009 - 14:35 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Friday that keeping its promises was one of the fundamental principles of the European Union (EU)."The EU is well aware of Turkey's influence and strategic importance," Gul told a news conference in Brussels. Gul underlined the importance of his visit for giving a new momentum to relations, raising Turkey's interest in the EU process again after Sunday's local elections, and speeding up the EU membership bid. He said that the EU had opened entry talks with Turkey on ten chapters so far, and expressed the country's expectation to begin negotiations on new chapters. Gul said that Turkey's road map is clear, and appreciated the European Commission's efforts to maintain the process with good will. "Maintaining this process was good for everybody's best interests," he said, adding that Turkey is not in a hurry and aimed to complete negotiations with success. Gul said the EU should always look into issues strategically. Turkey became an EU candidate country in December 1999 and the union launched accession talks with Turkey on October 3, 2005, Anatolian Agency reports. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. Byblos Bank Armenia celebrates Students' Day with scholarship recipients YSU students who received scholarships from Byblos Bank Armenia gathered in a casual setting to meet with the Bank's CEO, Hayk Stepanyan. Azerbaijan extends Rune Vardanyan’s arrest by 5 months A court in Azerbaijan has extended the arrest of former Nagorno-Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan by five months. Armenia border residents dissatisfied with delimitation Residents Kirants are dissatisfied with the results of the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. |