"EU reaffirms commitment to Turkey's bid
20/05/2009
BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Commission (EC) and the Czech presidency of the EU reiterated their support Tuesday (May 19th) for Turkey's membership, despite opposition from France and Germany, media reported. 'The EC is committed to Turkey's EU accession process on the basis of the negotiating framework that was adopted by all member states and Turkey in October 2005,' EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in Brussels, after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Rehn stressed that Turkish membership 'is in the fundamental interest of the EU'. Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout said the Czech presidency hopes to open at least one more chapter in Turkey's accession negotiations -- the one on taxation -- by the time its term as EU president ends on June 30th. Davutoglu described Turkey's EU membership process as 'a one-way road', noting that the process has never stopped unless the candidate country itself refused membership."
More:EU reaffirms commitment to Turkey's bid (SETimes.com)