The Turkish president on Thursday reiterated a desire to gain full membership in the European Union despite efforts on the part of some to prevent that from happening, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
“Turkey is doggedly continuing on its way despite the actions of those trying to exclude it from the European family,” Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told a reform action group meeting in the capital of Ankara.
Erdoğan stressed that Turkey has been attempting to become a full member of the EU for the last 60 years, adding that the country is determined to see that goal to completion.
The EU needs Turkey more than Turkey needs the EU, Erdoğan claimed.
Turkey applied for EU membership in 1987, and accession talks began in 2005. But negotiations stalled in 2007 due to objections from the Greek Cypriot administration on the divided island of Cyprus as well as opposition from Germany and France.