GERMANY: RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN THE HEAD OF TURKEY'S NEW RULING PARTY AKP EXPRESSES HOPE DURING VISIT TO BERLIN THAT GERMANY WILL SUPPORT ITS WAY INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION

Record ID: 217798

  • Title: GERMANY: RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN THE HEAD OF TURKEY'S NEW RULING PARTY AKP EXPRESSES HOPE DURING VISIT TO BERLIN THAT GERMANY WILL SUPPORT ITS WAY INTO THE EUROPEAN UNION
  • Date: 20th November 2002
  • Summary: (W8) BERLIN, GERMANY (NOVEMBER 19, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. SLV NIGHT SHOT OF TURKISH DELEGATION ARRIVING AT GERMAN FOREIGN MINISTRY; SLV LIMOUSINES PARKED OUTSIDE 0.04 2. SLV NEWS CONFERENCE; MEDIA 0.22 3. SOUNDBITE (Turkish) RECEP TAYYIP ERDOGAN, HEAD OF TURKISH AKP PARTY SAYING "The intention of our visit is the date 12th December, the Copenha
  • Embargoed: 5th December 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BERLIN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Reuters ID: LVA8456ZG3XLNLNLY0RDFQ3FDQMH
  • Story Text: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the head of Turkey's new ruling
    party AKP, has expressed hope during a visit to Berlin that
    Germany will support its way into the European Union.

    The intention of our visit is the date 12th
    December, the Copenhagen summit. There, it will be of utmost
    importance to us that a date will be announced for the start
    of negotiations with Turkey to join the European Union,"
    Erdogan said after a meeting with German Foreign Minister
    Joschka Fischer on Tuesday night (November 19, 2002).

    The new Turkish government has made winning a date to
    start EU membership negotiations at the December summit its
    first priority.

    "So I hope very much that on December 12th there will be
    an historic decision and that with the Copenhagen summit there
    will be a new era," Erdogan said.

    He was speaking after talks with German Chancellor Gerhard
    Schroeder. A scheduled joint news conference between Erdogan
    and Schroeder was cancelled at short notice.

    Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer said that it is now up to
    the Danish EU presidency " to formulate a proposal. We would
    like to see a clear signal to Turkey."
    "Whether we can go as far as is Mr. Erdogan's wish remains
    an open question which I cannot answer tonight," Fischer said.

    Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul used his first major
    foreign policy speech on Tuesday to reassure Western allies
    that his new government, rooted in political Islam, saw no
    changes to Turkeys Western outlook.

    Gul was formally installed as head of the Justice and
    Development Party (AKP) government on Monday. The party was
    formed by moderates from a now-banned Islamist party and says
    it is pro-Western and pro-market.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register