Erdogan says Turkey’s membership would strengthen EU’s internal market

BERLIN, Germany

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday (April 19th) that his country would strengthen the EU’s internal market if it joins the bloc. Erdogan was speaking in Hanover, a day after attending a birthday party for former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who turned 65 on April 7th.

Erdogan added that Turkey should join the EU because it would serve as a bridge between the EU and the Middle East. Germany, France and some other members have resisted Turkey’s efforts to join the bloc.

Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Sunday that while he is not opposed to Turkey’s EU accession, Ankara’s behaviour at the NATO summit earlier this month shocked him.

At the summit, Ankara blocked the approval of Danish politician Anders Fogh Rasmussen as NATO secretary-general, because he defended the publication of the controversial cartoons of Muhammad in Denmark in 2005, which spurred protests across the Muslim world. Turkey eventually agreed to Rasmussen’s nomination.