EU urges Erdoğan play conciliatory role after poll win

BRUSSELS - Agence France-Presse

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. AFP Photo

The European Union on Aug. 11 called on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to play a conciliatory role in Turkey, a day after he won the Turkish presidency after one round of voting.
       
"We congratulate you on your election as President of the Republic of Turkey," EU council president Herman Van Rompuy and EU Commission head Jose Manuel Barroso said in a joint statement.
       
"As you rightly underlined yourself, we trust you will maintain the conciliatory role which your new position involves, and strive to encompass all communities, beliefs, sensitivities, opinions, and lifestyles of the Turkish society," the top EU officials said.
       
Van Rompuy and Barroso said that "Turkey is a key partner for the European Union: a candidate country negotiating EU accession, a neighbour, an important trade partner and a foreign policy ally."        

They added that the EU looked forward to Erdoğan's "continued support to the current process aiming at a settlement of the Kurdish issue, in which you have already invested valuable efforts and on your continuing support to reach a settlement in Cyprus."