MEP supports opening of energy chapter in EU talks
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Hürriyet Daily News
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 23, 2009 00:00
ANKARA - The leader of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament yesterday voiced the backing of the opening of the energy chapter in Turkish-European Union negotiations.
"We are supporting the opening of Turkey’s entry talks on the energy chapter," Martin Schultz told reporters following an hour-meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Schultz was accompanied by Jan Marinus Wiersma and Kristian Vigenin, vice presidents of the Socialist Group. He said the energy policy was one of the issues discussed with Erdoğan, who was on a rare visit to Brussels early this week.
On Monday, Erdoğan warned Turkey would review its support for the Nabucco natural gas pipeline to Europe if the energy portion of its EU accession talks remained blocked.
The EU has stepped up efforts to diversify its energy sources since Russia's invasion of Georgia last summer and amid a dispute between Moscow and Kiev that has curtailed supplies across Ukraine to Europe. Greek Cyprus has been blocking the opening of talks in the energy sphere due to a row with Turkey on gas exploration at sea. Energy is one of the 35 areas, or so-called chapters, in Ankara’s entry talks. Egemen Bağış, Turkey’s newly appointed negotiator for the EU, said this week Erdoğan’s remarks were misinterpreted by the European media and said that Turkey would not use its cards as a weapon.
Schultz said the appointment of Bağış as the chief negotiator was received as a positive signal that the government was sincerely wishing to revive the reform agenda on its path to the EU. Previously, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan was acting as the chief negotiator.
The European parliamentarian said Turkey must keep up with the reforms to join the EU, while the bloc must also begin to reform as it embarks on the challenge of enlargement. The Socialist Group suggested that the recently released report of the European Parliament on Turkey openly gave a European perspective to the country, he noted. The members of the European Parliament, or MEPs, also met with President Abdullah Gül and Babacan.
Schultz was accompanied by Jan Marinus Wiersma and Kristian Vigenin, vice presidents of the Socialist Group. He said the energy policy was one of the issues discussed with Erdoğan, who was on a rare visit to Brussels early this week.
On Monday, Erdoğan warned Turkey would review its support for the Nabucco natural gas pipeline to Europe if the energy portion of its EU accession talks remained blocked.
The EU has stepped up efforts to diversify its energy sources since Russia's invasion of Georgia last summer and amid a dispute between Moscow and Kiev that has curtailed supplies across Ukraine to Europe. Greek Cyprus has been blocking the opening of talks in the energy sphere due to a row with Turkey on gas exploration at sea. Energy is one of the 35 areas, or so-called chapters, in Ankara’s entry talks. Egemen Bağış, Turkey’s newly appointed negotiator for the EU, said this week Erdoğan’s remarks were misinterpreted by the European media and said that Turkey would not use its cards as a weapon.
Schultz said the appointment of Bağış as the chief negotiator was received as a positive signal that the government was sincerely wishing to revive the reform agenda on its path to the EU. Previously, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan was acting as the chief negotiator.
The European parliamentarian said Turkey must keep up with the reforms to join the EU, while the bloc must also begin to reform as it embarks on the challenge of enlargement. The Socialist Group suggested that the recently released report of the European Parliament on Turkey openly gave a European perspective to the country, he noted. The members of the European Parliament, or MEPs, also met with President Abdullah Gül and Babacan.