Erdogan returns from Slovakia

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was welcomed by his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico in an official ceremony on Wednesday in Slovakia, which is the last stop of his three-nation eastern European tour. Following the welcoming ceremony, the two prime ministers held a bilateral meeting, chaired the meetings between Turkish and Slovakian delegations and then held a joint press conference. Speaking at the conference and responding to a question whether Turkey would ever consider withdrawing its EU membership bid, Erdogan said, "It has been 50 years and we are still at the door. But nevertheless we carry on with patience and we are committed to carry on but for how long is a topic of another discussion. And of course at some point we may put an end to it." Erdogan also said Turkey would move to lift visa requirement for Slovak nationals and that his country expected Slovakia to do same for Turkish nationals who would visit the eastern European country to provide services. "We will take the step for visa exemption as soon as I return home and I believe Slovakia's lifting visa requirement for our businesspeople, scholars, students, artists and sportspeople would move our relations to a higher level," Erdogan said. For his part, Fico said that he has witnessed Turkey's wish and determination to join the EU. "Turkey needs a new driving force regarding its membership talks with the EU. Our country believes that the EU needs to enlarge. We will keep standing behind the idea of fulfilling all the criteria for EU accession to become an EU member state," Fico said.  After completing his talks in Slovakia, Erdogan returned to Turkey yesterday.