STRASBOURG, France
Turkey has hinted that it will try to speed up the EU visa-waiver for Turkish nationals that is not currently scheduled to come into force until at least 2016.
Turkish EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkir said Turkey would focus on introducing the agreement "as soon as possible."
Bozkir’s remarks came during his first official visit to the European Parliament on Wednesday.
He said EU accession remains one of Turkey's strategic goals and Ankara "continues to adopt political, social and economic reforms" to achieve this.
Turkey began EU entry talks in 2005 and signed an agreement to allow visa-free travel in the EU for Turkish citizens at the end of last year. However, unlike other EU accession countries such as Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkish nationals will have to wait at least three years.
In three weeks the EU will issue an accession progress report on Turkey’s efforts to meet EU standards.
Bozkir told The Anadolu Agency: "As in the past, Turkey will continue its intensive reform process."
He said Turkey's strategy towards the EU, due to be published this week, included three phases: political reform; adopting the principles of the EU; and a communication strategy to improve the image of Turkey.
The minister also commented on the rise of far-right parties during the latest European Parliament elections. He said the phenomenon was due to economic hardship, adding that recovery would see “radical, Islamophobic and racist ideas” vanish.
www.aa.com.tr/en
