Bagis speaks at a conference in Milan

Speaking at a conference titled "Turkey as an emerging regional power: Challenges and Opportunities," at the International Political Studies Institute in Milan, Italy, Turkey's Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said that Turkish people were very angry with the EU because they think the Union was practicing double standards on Turkey. Bagis cited strict visa policy on Turks as one of the reasons why the public support for EU has decreased to 30 percent from 80 percent in 2004, saying, "The citizens of certain countries such as Macedonia and Albania can travel freely in the Union without a Schengen visa, while nationals of Turkey which is a candidate country are denied the same right." Bagis underlined that Turkey had made significant progress in expanding democratic rights and freedoms in the country through EU reforms, adding that Turkey's state broadcaster had launched a Kurdish channel and Kurdish language departments had opened in Turkish universities. "I am not saying we are perfect. We might have some shortcomings but we are working on them. We are now better than yesterday," Bagis said.