Turkish President Abdullah Gül said Turkey could offer the EU more than security assistance with its growing energy resources, population and dynamism, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“Turkey is a natural part of Europe,” he said in an interview with the British Sunday Telegraph. “Turkey’s position, her assets, the value she can add in terms of energy resources, her population, the dynamism she can bring into Europe and also the growth that she can bring, with Turkey being the engine of this growth.”

Meanwhile, Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister Egemen Bağış said no one could argue that Turkey is “perfect with democracy, freedom of expression and individual rights at global standards.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu remarked that Turkey “knows the EU rules and acts in accordance.”