"Ankara is pledged to improve rights
By Mary Honeyball
Published: November 29 2004 02:00 | Last updated: November 29 2004 02:00
From Mary Honeyball MEP.
Sir, To read Valery Giscard d'Estaing, no one would believe that Turkey had been a European Union applicant since 1999. There is no doubt that Turkey is making progress towards meeting the criteria for EU membership, the acquis communautaire. This is what matters, not Mr Giscard's very particular view of what constitutes a European state.
The present AKP government, elected with a large majority, is pro-European and pro-reform. Turkey has been a secular state for the best part of a century and is committed to bringing human and minority rights into line with the EU."
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