WE SHOULD CONVEY THE EU ENTHUSIASM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY

The inauguration of "Support to the Staff of the Ministry of Interior for the Effective Utilisation of the EU Funds Project" which is jointly organized with the Ministry of Interior and the British Embassy and "The EU Contact Point Deputy Governors Training Programme" was realised with the participation of the Minister for EU Affairs and the Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis and the Minister of Interior Besir Atalay.

Delivering a speech in the inauguration which was held in Ankara Crowne Plaza Hotel, Bagis emphasized that Turkey's EU membership was not a process that will be attained by only the efforts of the government and added that we should convey this enthusiasm all over the country.

Reminding that in 81 provinces of Turkey there were deputy governors who had been appointed as EU contact points, Bagis said: "You exist as our eyes, our ears, our voices and all our senses. The EU process has gone out of the meeting halls of 5 star hotels in Ankara, in Istanbul and expanded to all villages, all towns and all districts in Turkey."

Stating that Minister of Interior Besir Atalay gave strong support to the EU process, Bagis stated that Atalay shared the burden for the democratization of Turkey and added that he had been an example to many politicians.

In his speech stating that he was also very sensitive about the monitoring of the EU reforms, Minister of Interior Besir Atalay said that there were many works to be handled by the deputy governors regarding the informing of the citizens about the EU and the provision of the participation of all other local bureaucrats and administrators in the EU process.

At the meeting, the British Ambassador David Reddaway and Odoardo Como, the first secretary of the Delegation of the European Union to Turkey also delivered speeches.

Source: AA