Sunday, October 16, 2005

Daily Times-VIEW: Turkey’s EU Odyssey —Ahmad Faruqui

"VIEW: Turkey’s EU Odyssey —Ahmad Faruqui

One hopes that the EU leaders will have the foresight and conviction to eventually take Turkey into their fold. With a fast growing economy, a young workforce and the fact that more than half of its trade is already with the EU, Turkey can help Europe compete in world markets

On October 3, the 25-member European Union (EU) agreed to begin talks with Turkey about its accession to the organisation, a process that may take 10 to 15 years. The EU’s decision to open talks comes 42 years after Turkey first knocked on the door by joining the European Economic Community (EEC) as an associate member. But it was not until December 1999 that Turkey’s EU candidacy was recognised."

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