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EU Sees Possibility of New Chapters for Turkey’s Bid

13 July 2010 04:33 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. European Union’s (EU) high representative for foreign affairs said on Monday that Turkey had started to implement a more assertive foreign policy in the recent term, APA reports quoting turkishny.com web-page.

In a written statement released prior to the EU-Turkey High Level Political Dialogue Meeting to be held in Istanbul on July 13, EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy Catherine Ashton said, "Turkey has recently started to become more assertive in its foreign policy".
Noting that the union welcomed the increasingly important role of Turkey in its region, Ashton said, "In this context we will also look at the ways in which the EU and Turkey can enhance cooperation".
Moreover, EU’s Commissioner for Enlargement & Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fuele said in the same message that Tuesday’s Political Dialogue Meeting in Istanbul would provide for a timely confirmation of Turkey’s perspective of EU membership and the continuation of the enlargement process.
"I hope that more chapters could be opened this year, if Turkey meets the necessary conditions. Of course the engine of the whole process are the reforms taking place in Turkey. The Commission will continue to support Turkey in carrying out these reforms," Fuele said.
The EU-Turkey Political Dialogue Meeting is a part of regular bilateral meetings between the union and Turkey, taking place on a ministerial level twice a year.
Apart from Ashton and Fuele, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and Chief Negotiator for EU Talks Egemen Bagis will attend the gathering in Istanbul on Tuesday.
Participants are expected to discuss Turkey-EU relations, as well as cooperation opportunities on regional and international matters during tomorrow’s meeting.