Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has vowed no respite in Turkey's drive towards the European Union after winning a date from EU leaders to start entry talks.
Returning to a hero's welcome after attending a historic summit in Brussels, Erdogan said today: "This result will not spoil us. We will not rest on our laurels because our aim every day now is to move forwards, forwards, forwards."
"This result is a signal to us to work even more from now on. We will work harder, but don't forget it is not only us, the government, we must all work harder," he said at Istanbul airport this morngin.
Hundreds of excited supporters shouted "Turkey is proud of you" and waved Turkish and European Union flags as well as banners of Erdogan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), a conservative group with Islamist roots.
"Tomorrow's Turkey will be very different from today's Turkey, both politically and economically," Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul told the crowd.
EU and Turkish leaders agreed yesterday that Ankara will begin long-delayed accession talks on October 3rd, 2005, after last-minute haggling over Turkey's relationship with EU member Cyprus.
Turkey only recognises the breakaway Turkish Cypriot statelet in the north of the island, while the EU regards the Greek Cypriot administration in the south as the sole legal representative of all Cyprus.
Diplomats say they expect a fresh drive to revive peace talks on the ethnically divided island in coming months.