EGEMEN BAGIS MEETS EP MEMBERS

In his official visit to Brussels, holding talks with the members of the European Parliament, Minister for EU Affairs and the Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis, together with Stefan Füle, the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy attended the new year reception of Turkey's Friends Group now consisting of 75 members.

Minister for EU Affairs Bagis stated that Turkey made significant progress recently, it realized the Constitutional reform, it achieved strong economic growth and it pursued an active and a multidimensional foreign policy.

Bagis said, "We are not a shattered candidate country waiting for the EU to touch us with its magic sceptre, we are the robust man of Europe who will make a strong contribution to the EU" and he indicated that 2011 would be a challenging year in Turkey-EU relations, and said that he awaited support from Turkey's friends.

Reminding that in his article published in the Newsweek magazine Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "Especially in a global order where the balance of power is shifting, the EU needs Turkey to become an ever stronger, richer, more inclusive, and more secure Union", Bagis expressed his hope that it would not be too late before their European friends discovered this fact.

During his official contacts in the European Parliament, besides Fule, Bagis also met Ria Oomen-Ruijten, Rapporteur of the European Parliament for Turkey and Martin Schulz, Chairman of Socialist Group in the European Parliament.

Source: AA