"TURKEY'S MEMBERSHIP WILL ENABLE THE EU TO REACH THE EAST"

Making contacts in Brussels, Egemen Bagis said that Turkey's EU membership would enable the EU to contact the east.

Meeting with Olli Rehn, member of the European Commission Responsible for Enlargement, Bagis also met Janez Potocnik, the member of the European Commission responsible for Science and Research and Laszlo Kovacs, the member of the European Commission responsible for taxation and customs union.

Answering questions from foreign journalists, Bagis said "the EU needs Turkey as much as Turkey needs the EU". Bagis stated that only this way could the union contact the east.

Indicating that Turkey's membership would facilitate the EU's relations with the Islam world, Bagis pointed out the importance of Turkey's EU membership in terms of the energy policies of the EU.

About the opening of new chapters in the negotiations, Bagis said that on Tuesday he expected to come to an agreement on the opening of taxation chapter. He said that they hoped to start negotiations on social policy, unemployment, environment, competition, education and energy chapters under the presidency of Sweden in the coming six months.

Bagis said "Most amazingly, we can't open the energy chapter to negotiations while Europe is encountering an energy crisis and Turkey is on the location between the energy sources and energy demand."

In his speech at the Crans Montana Forum, Bagis talked about Turkey's EU membership process and accompanied Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his Brussels contacts the following day.Resource: AA