Tuesday, 12 February 2008Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday Turkey expects its European friends to display similar importance and contribution it shows in fight against terrorism.
"We are sad about insincere stance of some countries on fight against terrorism," he told members of his Justice & Development (AK) Party at a parliamentary group meeting.
Erdogan said, "you call an organization 'terrorist' while you free the bloody murderers and do not extradite them to Turkey. If you maintain this stance, you see the same from us." He was referring to a Belgian court decision to free Turkish left-wing terrorists and fail to name their DHKP-C organization as terrorist. The European Union has named the DHKP-C as a terrorist organization.
On the fire in Ludwigshafen, Germany that killed nine Turks, including five children, Erdogan said, "we are all so sad and deeply hurt.+ó?TØ
Erdogan said he discussed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel bilateral relations, Turkey's EU membership bid, and regional and international topics.
"The social and economic positions of our citizens there have a determining impact on our relations with Germany," he said.
Erdogan said he once more reiterated importance of Turkey's EU full membership for both the union and world peace.
"Turkey is actually an important part of Europe with its 5 million citizens living on this continent," he told.
On the other hand, Erdogan said Turkey's main approach is to integrate its citizens living there with the German society.
"However, we are against assimilation. Therefore, I said during my visit there that we should differentiate between assimilation and integration," he told.
"Assimilation is a crime of humanity, but we are ready to do what we have to do for integration," he also said. |
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Turkey
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