Turkish Minister of EU Affairs and chief negotiator Egemen Bağış (R-C), met with European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle recently in Dublin.

A positive signal came from the informal ministerial meeting of the EU to open new chapter headings with Turkey. Turkish Minister of EU Affairs and chief negotiator Egemen Bağış attended the informal meeting of EU ministers held under the auspices of the current EU term president, Ireland, in Dublin.

Bağış met with European Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle on the sidelines of the meeting.

After the ministerial meeting, Füle and Minister of State for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton held a press conference on EU-Turkey relations. Creighton said she hopes to make progress with Turkey in accession talks during Ireland’s term presidency despite many enduring obstacles.

Füle said no chapter headings had been opened with Turkey during the last five EU term presidencies, adding that the meeting showed that EU member states were willing to recover Turkey’s membership talks by opening new chapter headings.

Underlining that the reform process in Turkey constituted a sound basis to open new chapters, Füle said the reforms were the pushing force of the membership negotiations.

Opening chapters regarding basic rights would be in the interest of not only Turkey but also the EU, added Füle.

This was the first time Minister Bağış attended an EU meeting since the Greek Cypriot EU term presidency ended on Dec. 31, 2012. Bağış did not attend any EU meetings during the six-month Greek Cypriot EU term presidency.

Bağış and the EU ministers came together for a photograph at the Castle of Dublin after their meeting, which was closed to the press.

 

Source Zaman.

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