Istanbul - The EU presidency yesterday backed Turkey's European vocation and urged concrete steps to keep Ankara from straying off its westward path. "We do consider Turkey a European country and we want to make this visible in a very substantial way," the Luxembourg Prime Minister, Mr Jean-Claude Juncker, said during a break in a day of talks with Turkish leaders.
Turkey is seeking assurance that it will not be left behind by eastern European nations in the race for EU membership, due to be decided at the summit in mid-December.