Brussels - The European Commission, as well as the current and future presidencies of the European Union, on Tuesday reiterated their support for Turkey's entry into the EU, despite resistance in France and Germany. "The European Commission is committed to the EU accession process of Turkey ... on the basis of the negotiating framework that was adopted by all (EU) member states and Turkey in October 2005," said EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn after talks in Brussels with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
While conceding that Turkey faces a long and difficult journey, Rehn stressed that Turkish membership "is in the fundamental interest of the EU."
Rehn's comments were echoed by the foreign ministers of the Czech Republic, which currently holds the EU's six-month rotating presidency, and by Sweden, its successor.
"We will continue to work on the programme that was laid out together by the French, Czech and Swedish presidencies," said Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who singled out peace talks in Cyprus as "the single most important issue this year."
The comments in Brussels came less than 10 days after the leaders of Germany and France both questioned the wisdom of allowing Turkey into the EU.
During a meeting with young political leaders, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that allowing a country of more than 70 million people into the EU risked leaving the bloc unable to operate.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, for his part, told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag: "We need a well-organized Europe ... That means we cannot expand without borders. We shouldn't make any empty promises to Turkey."
So far, Turkey's membership bid has progressed at a snail's pace, with just 10 so-called "negotiating chapters" out of 35 having been opened.
However, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Kohout said he hoped that a new chapter on bringing Turkey's taxation policy in line with that of the EU could be opened by the end of June.
Davutoglu, making his first visit to Brussels since being named Turkey's foreign minister, said no one should continue to question the benefits or disadvantages of his country's membership.
The minister also noted that Turkey's entry into the EU would help improve the bloc's energy security, for instance through the construction of the Nabucco pipeline which is intended to bring gas from the Caspian Sea across Turkey to Europe.
"We are supporting Nabucco and we will do everything for its realization," Davutoglu said.
The EU currently relies heavily on Russia for its gas needs.
In a statement issued at the end of the meeting, EU officials stressed that Turkey still needs to do more, including in the areas of judicial reform, the protection of minorities, freedom of expression and women's rights, before it can hope to join the bloc.
