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Baku, Azerbaijan, May 17
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has instructed the government to accelerate the reforms for the country to be the EU full member, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media on May 17.
The special commissions have been created to fulfill the remaining six of 72 EU requirements.
A new round of negotiations between Turkey and the EU may begin in the coming months.
Earlier, a source from the Turkish government told Trend that Ankara almost completely fulfilled the EU conditions, but the EU double standards are still the main obstacle for Ankara’s full membership.
"The main problem in relations between Turkey and the EU is that the EU has not yet determined Ankara’s status in this structure,” the source said. “The fulfillment of 66 out of 72 conditions in a short time is the great achievement."
According to the Turkish government source, Turkey’s accession to the EU is a priority, but this does not mean that Ankara has no alternative.
On April 27, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the EU must decide on Turkey’s membership in the EU. He noted that if the EU does not need Turkey, it should openly declare this.
Erdogan added that Turkey has fulfilled all the conditions to become a full member of the EU.
The Association Agreement between the EU and Turkey was signed in 1963. Ankara filed an application for EU membership in 1987, but accession negotiations began only in 2005.
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