CZECH REPUBLIC, HOLDING THE EU PRESIDENCY, FAVOURS TURKEY'S MEMBERSHIP

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis came together with Czech businessmen at breakfast in the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey in Prague.

Ambassador Oguz Demiralp, Secretary General for EU Affairs, Nazmi Akiman and Wadar Frantisek, co-presidents of Turkey-Czech Republic Business Council, as well as Turkish and Czech businessmen attended the breakfast meeting organised with the collaboration of Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK)

The meeting started with the presentation of Koray Turgay, Ambassador of Turkey to Czech Republic, on trade relations between Turkey and Czech Republic and continued with the discussion made on views concerning the development of trade relations.

Egemen Bagis made a statement after the meeting and said that he was pleased to see in the meeting he made with businessmen from Turkey and Czech Republic that economic relations between two countries are developing. Bagis also stated that, Turkey having the 17th greatest economy in the world and the 6th in Europe also had the 4th greatest labour power in Europe.

Bagis said: "Within this framework, the chapters that we are intending to open during the Presidency of Czech Republic are mostly on economic issues and this points out the significance of the cooperation"

Bagis also indicated that Czech Republic, holding the EU presidency, favoured Turkey's membership to the EU and would not prevent the opening of chapters.

Bagis, after the meeting attended the lunch hosted by the Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Pojar in his honour.

Resource: AA