Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruffled some EU feathers today by saying Iran and its president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are "friends" and that fears over Iran's nuclear program are mere "gossip". Dutch MEP Sophie in `t Veld told Radio Netherlands Worldwide these comments are "worrying" and "provocative". Mr Erdogan is visiting neighbouring Iran today to strengthen the already stable relationship between the two countries. Turkey has been steadily improving relationships with its Middle East neighbours lately, while the relations with the EU became more and more strained. No interference In an interview with British newspaper The Guardian on the eve of his trip to Tehran, Mr Erdogan said he would not raise any of the politically delicate issues, such as Iran's post-election crackdown on protesters or its nuclear programme. Mr Erdogan said he doesn't want to interfere with Iran's internal affairs. Worrying Dutch MEP Sophie in `t Veld of the liberal D66 party, who is in Ankara this week with an EU delegation, says Mr Erdogan's comments are worrying. "But there's also a background to this", she adds. "Turkey rightfully points out that if it cannot join the EU, it has other allies it can turn to. It may not be allies we like, but if we don't want Turkey to be pushed into the arms of Mr Ahmadinejad, then we should make sure our relations with Turkey improve". But she admits Turkey's accession talks are a very slow process. "Europe continues to be ambiguous about it, saying things like `Even if Turkey meets the criteria, we're still not sure' or `We'll see when we get there'. We, the EU, must be clear that we negotiate on membership and nothing else".
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan ruffled some EU feathers today by saying Iran and its president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are "friends" and that fears over Iran's nuclear program are mere "gossip". Dutch MEP Sophie in `t Veld told Radio Netherlands Worldwide these comments are "worrying" and "provocative".
Mr Erdogan is visiting neighbouring Iran today to strengthen the already stable relationship between the two countries. Turkey has been steadily improving relationships with its Middle East neighbours lately, while the relations with the EU became more and more strained. No interference In an interview with British newspaper The Guardian on the eve of his trip to Tehran, Mr Erdogan said he would not raise any of the politically delicate issues, such as Iran's post-election crackdown on protesters or its nuclear programme. Mr Erdogan said he doesn't want to interfere with Iran's internal affairs. Worrying Dutch MEP Sophie in `t Veld of the liberal D66 party, who is in Ankara this week with an EU delegation, says Mr Erdogan's comments are worrying. "But there's also a background to this", she adds. "Turkey rightfully points out that if it cannot join the EU, it has other allies it can turn to. It may not be allies we like, but if we don't want Turkey to be pushed into the arms of Mr Ahmadinejad, then we should make sure our relations with Turkey improve".
But she admits Turkey's accession talks are a very slow process. "Europe continues to be ambiguous about it, saying things like `Even if Turkey meets the criteria, we're still not sure' or `We'll see when we get there'. We, the EU, must be clear that we negotiate on membership and nothing else".
