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Turkey wanted to see France cast a vote in favour of opening accession talks when EU leaders meet on December 17 for their end of year summit, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a press conference in Paris Thursday.
Erdogan, in the French capital for the release of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s report on Turkey, said that Turkey had fulfilled the requirements laid down for it to start membership negotiations and it was now the European Union that would be tested on the December 17.
Erdogan said that political leaders acted according to the will of their nations.
“However, for action between states you do not act according to feelings,” he said. “You do it by criteria.”
When asked a question about the so-called Armenian genocide, Erdogan said people should study the Ottoman archives first.
“The Armenian citizens in my country do not have such complaints,” he said. “No one has the right to agitate the matter while looking from a distance.”
He said that these matters should not be used to generate into hatred and that friendship should be sought instead. | |
