President Gül urges EU Commissioner to open new chapters in Turkey’s accession process

ANKARA

Turkish President Abdullah Gül shakes hand with Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle at the Çankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara, Nov. 8. AA photo

President Abdullah Gül said on Nov. 8 he expected European Union member countries to accelerate the opening of new chapters in Turkey’s accession negotiations during a meeting with the EU’s Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Füle at the Çankaya Presidential Palace in Ankara.
 
“The opening of a new chapter is a step taken in the right direction, but the other chapters must also be opened without further delay,” Gül said, in reference to Chapter 22 on regional policy, opened last month after the European Commission’s approval.
 
“We expect from EU leaders to have a visionary and strategic approach regarding Turkey’s membership process,” Gül said, expressing his appreciation of Füle’s “constructive efforts” on the matter.
 
Gül also said Turkey should not be excluded from the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), emphasizing that the EU had responsibilities towards Ankara due to its membership of the Customs’ Union. 
 
For his part, Füle assured Gül that the European Commission held the same view as Turkey regarding tackling new chapters in the accession process.
 
“We have been making efforts to maintain a sustainable momentum in Turkey’s accession process,” Füle said. He also expressed his hopes that talks between Brussels and Turkey on a visa deal could start in the near future, and that the two parties in Cyprus would restart talks for a viable solution in the island as soon as possible.
 
Füle also met with opposition members and NGO representatives during his visit to Istanbul and Ankara.