SAARISELKA
Finland has once again supported Turkey's EU membership bid, as a state among the supporter states in Europe.
Jyrki Katainen, Prime Minister of Finland, told AA that Turkey's EU accession process required acceleration and added, "If Turkey were a member of the EU, the current situation could have been different in Europe."
Katainen hosted leaders of several European countries to discuss the future of EU in the small town of Saariselka, in the Lapland region of Finland. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan attended the informal meeting held 250 kilometres to the north of the arctic circle.
Minister for European Affairs and Foreign trade of Finland Alexander Stubb as host and President of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Prime Minister of Latvia Valdis Dombrovskis, Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Prime Minister of Croatia Zoran Milanovic and Lucinda Creighton, EU Term President and Ireland's Minister of EU Affairs were participants of the meeting.
The financial crisis in the European countries dominated the agenda of the meeting.
Stating that it is difficult to speak certainly but it was an interesting possibility to consider, Katainen said, "Turkey has a growing economy with a high population. If Turkey was a member of the EU, the current situation could have been different in Europe."
Katainen also stated that those supporting Turkey's EU membership should express it more dominantly and added, "We should say out loud that we would like Turkey to move on with the EU talks because the Turkish people need this support. actually, the financial problems in Europe worked out for the advantage of Turkey. EU countries have a more positive attitude towards Turkey's EU membership compared to 6 months or a year ago."
Reporting by Tugrul Cam
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