"TURKEY JOINING THE EU A �RECONCILIATION OF CIVILIZATIONS� SAYS PRIME MINISTER
Jan. 28 2005
Davos, Switzerland � Turkey joining the European Union will be a �reconciliation of civilizations,� Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday in a special message at the World Economic Forum�s Annual Meeting 2005. In addition, the country at the crossroads of east and west will serve as a catalyst for positive change in the Balkans and exercise a stabilizing influence in the troubled region that touches its borders.
�The EU is no longer a union of steel and coal . . . it is not a Christian club. It is a totality of political values,� Erdogan said. It has been a long road to fulfilling the EU�s accession criteria, with an application for membership first being filed 42 years ago. On 3 November 2004 Turkey was finally given the green light to launch negotiations for full membership. "
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