Turkey shows renewed interest in EU bid

DHAKA: With a new government in place in France, Turkey is showing a renewed interest in reviving its stalled bid to join the European Union.

On Thursday, Turkey and the EU are set to launch informal discussions aimed at bringing membership talks back on track.

This week, Turkey’s government also said its parliament would soon vote on a series of EU-oriented reforms that would help advance the membership talks.

Turkey began EU accession negotiations in 2005 but made little progress since then due to a dispute with Cyprus and opposition by former French president Nicolas Sarkozy to Turkey’s membership.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said this week, ‘With the coming to power of Mr. Francois Hollande, we are all hoping that a new course in the Turkish-EU relations will gain momentum’.

BDST: 2007 HRS, May 17, 2012

Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor