Turkey and EU have common political agenda - FM

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu met separately with European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Union (EU) Commissioner for enlargement Olli Rehn in the Belgian capital of Brussels on Friday, Anadolu Agency reported.

Davutoglu's meeting with Barroso lasted more than an hour.

Minister Davutoglu later met with Rehn and the two held a joint press conference following their meeting.

I was at the Turkish Parliament yesterday (Thursday) on the first day of the new legislative year. I have come to Brussels today (Friday). As you can see, Turkey and the EU have common political agenda, Davutoglu said.

I have informed Mr. Barroso and Mr. Rehn on Turkey's reforms, "democratic move", and normalization of relations with Armenia. We discussed stability in the Balkans, cooperation in the energy field, the negotiations taking place in Cyprus for a solution, judicial reform strategy and the works of the reform watch group, Davutoglu said.

Rehn, in his part, said that he was pleased to discuss different issues of strategic importance with Mr. Davutoglu.

Our dialogue proved the importance of cooperation between Turkey and the EU for peace and stability in south-eastern Europe and the larger region, Rehn said.

I would like to stress that the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia are crucial and will be a turning point for regional peace, Rehn said.

There are many areas (in Turkey) that need reforms. We watch with concern freedom of the press in Turkey. We expect problems related to religious freedoms, women's rights and rights of unions to be resolved, Rehn noted.

Rehn reminded Turkey's obligations under the Ankara Protocol.

Minister Davutoglu proceeded to Nakhichevan after completing talks in Brussels.