"Turkish PM Erdogan Lays Case for EU Bid At Davos Forum
DAVOS, Switzerland (AFP) -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan laid his country's case for European Union membership Friday before leaders from all over the world, saying it would help bridge a divide between civilizations.
'We want a Europe, a world, where there is a reconciliation between civilizations,' Erdogan told political, business and social leaders gathered for the World Economic Forum at this Swiss ski resort.
Responding to critics who have questioned Ankara's historic right to join the 25-member EU, the Turkish leader recalled how, in the dying years of the Ottoman empire in the early 20th century, it 'was defined as 'the sick man of Europe', not as the sick man of Asia.'
'The European Union is no longer a union of steel and coal, it is no longer (just) an economic union,' Erdogan said. "
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