Erdogan visits Vienna to discuss EU membership
Erdogan, accompanied by a delegation of about 100 Turkish entrepreneurs, was also participating in an afternoon forum at the Austrian Chamber of Commerce.
Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party has made EU membership a priority and has vowed to carry out democratic reforms such as granting greater rights to its estimated 12 million Kurds.
EU nations will decide in December 2004 whether Turkey is ready to start membership negotiations.
Turkey is Austria’s most important trade partner in the region. Last year, Austria exported 554 million euros (US$630 million) in goods and services to Turkey, a 32 percent increase over 2001. Imports rose 17 percent in 2002 to 614 million euros (US$699 million).
State Minister Kursad Tuzmen, Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Hilmi Guler also accompanied Erdogan during the visit.
Erdogan visited 14 EU member states before the EU Copenhagen summit on December 12-13, 2002, to gather support for Turkey’s EU membership bid, but could not visit Austria because of general elections in that country.
"Turkey is trying to adopt the Copenhagen criteria and implement new EU reforms as soon as possible," said Erdogan at the joint press conference.
Turkish government passed a set of reforms from Turkish Parliament to meet the EU criteria and is expected to send a new (seventh) package to Parliament next week.
Schuessel said reforms are important steps that will make Turkey an EU member. "I congragulate, Mr. erdogan because of his efforts for Turkey’s membership," he added.
Meanwhile, a correspondent from terrorist organization Kurdistan Workers’ Party’s (PKK) television channel, Med-TV was taken into custody by the Austrian police after the joint press conference.
