Davutoglu: "Turkey's EU membership process is a one-way road with no turning back"

"Turkey's EU membership process is a one-way road with no turning back," said yesterday Foreign Minister Ali Davutoglu. Davutoglu, currently in Brussels together with chief negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis attended the 47th session of the EC-Turkey Association Council, with EU Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn, Jan Kohout, Foreign Minister of Czech Republic, which holds the EU term presidency, and Sweden Foreign Minister Carl Bildt whose country set to assume the rotating term presidency on June 1 also in attendance. Speaking to reporters afterwards, Davutoglu reiterated Turkey's determination to speed up the EU reform efforts. Rehn praised Davutoglu's constructive role in Turkey's relation with neighbors. For his part, touching on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent remarks of "privileged partnership" offer, Kohout said that the EU decided to hold membership negotiations with Turkey, scheduled to start in 2005, and the negotiation process will continue in that way.