ISTANBUL
Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkir met Saturday with the European Parliament Rapporteur for Turkey before a scheduled vote on a report detailing Turkey's progress toward EU membership.
Bozkir received Kati Piri at his office in Istanbul.
“We will evaluate the recent situation of the report (at the meeting) today,” Bozkir told reporters before the meeting. “We will share our views and worries over this with her.”
The meeting came after the European Parliament postponed a planned vote on approving the report last week. The vote is now scheduled for June.
Bozkir thanked Piri for her efforts on the report saying, “As a friend of Turkey, she exerted hard efforts (on the report).”
The Dutch politician Piri, in her speech, stressed the importance of maintaining dialogue between Turkey and the EU, stating that she has met with both government and opposition party officials and civil society organizations during her visit to the country to achieve this.
On Wednesday, she met with the opposition Republican Peoples’ Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in Ankara.
Turkey’s 2014 Progress Report had praised the country for efforts to reach an “inclusive and sustainable” settlement with its Kurdish population.
Despite criticism over “government interference” in the judiciary and bans imposed on social media, the report also praised the country for its “invaluable support” for Syrian refugees.
Negotiations for Turkey’s accession to the EU began in 2005. Turkey must comply with 35 chapters setting out reforms needed to become a member.
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