Photo: Natalia Gubernatorova
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the European Union to accept the republic into its membership, stressing that without Ankara, Brussels will not be able to become a center of attraction and power.
“We want to finally reach the result of our long-standing commitment to the EU. It is impossible for the EU to become a center of attraction and power without the presence of Turkey in it. We want the EU to get rid of the blindness it has fallen into as soon as possible,” Erdogan said.
He made the corresponding statement at the summit of the countries of South-Eastern Europe in Antalya.
The agreement on the Euroassociation of Turkey was signed in 1963. In 1987, Ankara applied for EU membership, and accession negotiations began in 2005, but were repeatedly suspended.