US President George W. Bush said today that he stands "side by side" with Turkey in its bid to join the European Union, as he met here with the leader of Turkey's ruling party, Mr Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Mr Erdogan, speaking through an interpreter, said Turkey viewed accession to the European Union as "the most important modernization project of our country since the establishment of the republic."
Joining the 15-member union would be "a great jump-start for enhancement of democracy," said Mr Erdogan, who leads the Justice and Development Party (AKP).
US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell, White House national security adviser Ms Condoleezza Rice, and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz were all present for the meeting.
Meanwhile, Germany said Tuesday that the European Union "overwhelmingly" supports a Franco-German proposal to begin EU membership talks with Turkey in 2005 if the country is in suitable shape.
But Turkish Prime Minister Mr Abdullah Gul warned the EU not to use any "tricks" when its leaders gather in Copenhagen for a summit Thursday and Friday, demanding a firm nod towards Ankara's accession.
Turkey took a major leap forward in August with a series of ground-breaking reforms, among them the abolition of the death penalty and cultural freedom for the Kurds.
Ankara argues the reforms justify a start date for accession talks, four years after the country officially became an EU candidate.
Ankara says that fixing a firm date for its membership talks would help efforts to reunify Cyprus, a front-runner for EU membership which has been divided between its Turkish and Greek communities since 1974.
Washington is openly campaigning on the behalf of Turkey, a traditionally pro-Western nation which would be a crucial ally in case of a US military intervention in Iraq.
AFP