Verheugen: My opinions about Turkey changed in a positive way

Touching on Islam, Verheugen stated that Europe’s door should be open to all cultures.

"Islam is a part of Europe such as Christianity or Judaism. The membership of a secular and Muslim country like Turkey is beneficial because of the developments in the crisis regions," Verheugen said.

Verheugen stated that Islam was not required to find a place in Europe since it belonged to Europe for centuries.

Following the panel, Verheugen told Turkish reporters that the new government in Turkey did not pose a threat like Islamization of the country.

Verheugen said the AK Party government was based on modernization and other certain values. "Turkey is a Muslim country. I think that such a government’s effort to show the world that a Muslim country has a democratic civil state should be supported," he added.