Babacan: "EU membership is necessary for Turkey"

Foreign Minister Ali Babacan, currently in Brussels for a NATO foreign ministers summit, yesterday said that European Union membership is necessary for political stability in Turkey, to keep democracy on track, and that it's also difficult to ensure economic stability without an EU perspective. At a press conference, Babacan complained that Turkey's EU bid is being held back by the EU. Though the EU sees opening four chapters a year in Turkey's membership talks as fast enough, Ankara disagrees, he added.