Austria's FM visits Turkey

After arriving in Ankara yesterday to pay an official visit, Austria's Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik was received by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and then met with her Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan. Speaking at a joint press conference afterwards, Plassnik said, "There is no doubt that Austria is a firm partner in the fight against terrorism." Asked about the closure case against the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Plassnik said that Turkey was capable of handling its issues by itself, adding that Europeans should not be expected to act as arbitrators or political policemen in this process. Concerning Turkey's European Union membership process, she said that Austria had made clear its view that Turkey's talks should not be automatic but open-ended. Plassnik said that she knew Turkey wants to become a full EU member, but stressed that this is not the only way. "We can explore the content of a future relationship," she added. For his part, Babacan said, "We are looking for more support from Austria in our fight against terrorism," calling for joint political efforts towards that end.