"EU’s reservations about Turkey are near an end"

Speaking at his Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) parliamentary group meeting, Erdogan stressed that the EU’s reservations about Turkey were near an end, adding that its objections had been reduced to just one or two issues. “The EU’s need for Turkey has taken on more importance,” said the premier. Erdogan added that the country was approaching solutions to problems previously thought unsolvable. On the Cyprus issue, Erdogan reiterated that Turkey wanted a just and permanent solution on the island, adding that Ankara continued to support the goodwill mission of the UN secretary-general. Meanwhile, Erdogan has reportedly been invited to a congress of the European Parliament’s Christian Democrat group to be held in Brussels on Feb. 4-5. Over 60 political party leaders from across Europe are expected to attend the meeting.