Turkey wants to see concrete results for its reforms - passed as part of its bid to enter the European Union - during Italy’s EU presidency, said Turkey’s EU Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
“Our government has taken steps to carry out reforms, and we expect that, during the Italian presidency, we are going to see the concrete results from these steps,” said Cavusoglu as he addressed the audience at the Italian embassy in Ankara, during a celebration of Italy’s Council of the European Union Presidency, on Tuesday.
Cavusoglu reminded his audience that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had declared 2014 as the year of European Union.
Italy took the EU’s rotating six-month term-presidency Tuesday from Greece – the 12th time it has held the office since it founded the European Economic Community with five other nations in 1957. It will
“We hope that in Italy’s presidency will generate solid solutions to EU’s problems, such as the economic crisis, the rise of the far right as well as solutions to conflicts in Ukraine and Middle East,” added Cavusoglu.
Meanwhile, Italy’s Ambassador to Turkey, Gianpaolo Scarante said Italy's three main priorities during their presidency are sustainable economic growth, tackling unemployment and human trafficking.
“Turkey is a historical friend of Italy, said Scarante. We are convinced that the enlargement policy is a fundamental good for promoting peace. The EU should demonstrate credibility and commitment for the full membership of Turkey.”
By: Nihan Cabbaroglu, Ebru Sengul, Ovunc Kutlu
www.aa.com.tr/en
