ANKARA
The EU's 2014 annual progress report on Turkey is "objective and balanced in general," Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Volkan Bozkir said after its release Wednesday.
Despite criticisms over "government interference" in the judiciary and bans imposed on social media, the report -- assessing Turkey's preparedness for EU membership -- from the 27-member bloc praised the country for its "invaluable support" for Syrian refugees.
Bozkir told a press conference at the EU Ministry: "The report also includes criticisms, however they are constructive and, therefore, the report is objective and balanced in general.
"We will take reasonable criticisms into consideration and use the report as a constructive element for the progress of Turkey's reforms and EU accession."
He also said Turkey would bring to the attention of the EU the criticisms it disagrees with and "factual mistakes" the report includes.
He said that he disapproves of Turkey's own progress reports.
Turkey released its first progress report in 2012 after saying the EU was "not being objective" in its assessments.
'Full support'
The EU said in its 2014 report that it supported Turkey’s ongoing efforts to solve the three-decade conflict between Ankara and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), amid a rise in tensions brought on by fighting in neighboring Syria.
PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as well as by the EU and the U.S.
"The EU extended its full support to this [solution] process and encouraged further engagement by all parties,” said the report.
The report comes amid protests in Turkey by Kurds, that are linked to tensions arising from ongoing fighting between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant militants and Kurdish fighters in the Syrian city of Kobani, just kilometers from Turkey’s southern border.
''However, the legal status of the great majority of these refugees remains unclear, which limits their employment opportunities,'' it added.
Turkey's labor minister said Wednesday the government was planning to give Syrian refugees special identity cards that would enable them to find employment.
- 'Considerable challenges
The Syrian civil war has prompted a massive influx of Syrian refugees in Turkey, estimated to number more than one million.
While about 220,000 refugees live in 22 refugee camps in southeastern provinces of Turkey, another estimated 580,000 are spread out across both refugee camps and major cities like Istanbul and Izmir, the EU said in the report.
''Refugees living outside the camps still face considerable challenges in accessing essential services and very often their living conditions are difficult,'' it added, noting that registered refugees are offered free access to health and education services.
The EU report also said Turkey needs to reform its border authorities to ensure more effective border management.
Thousands of refugees have fled to Turkey from the mainly Kurdish-populated Syrian town of Kobani, escaping fighting between the ISIL militants and Kurdish forces.
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