Turkish president says Europe lacks strategic perspective

Turkey's president said on Friday that Europe lacked strategic point of view regarding Turkey's European Union (EU) membership, Anadolu Agency reported.

President Abdullah Gul said he believed this perspective would change.

"I believe Turkey-EU negotiation process will speed up when this happens," Gul said during a meeting at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.

Gul said Turkey was determined to complete the negotiation process successfully, and therefore it went on making reforms.

However, the EU assumed a political stance slowing down the process from time to time, Gul said.

Gul said, "EU member states are so much involved in their domestic policies that they lack strategic perspective. There is a Europe that cannot see and think about 50-60 years ahead."

President Gul also said Turkey and the United States should boost their cooperation in countering terrorist organizations al-Qaida and PKK.

Gul said Turkey wanted establishment of a government in Iraq that covered all segments of the society, adding that every one should respect Iraq's political unity and territorial integrity.

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