EU Minister Bagis meets with Swedish FM

Turkish EU Affairs Minister and chief negotiator Egemen Bagis on Wednesday said that Sweden's strong support for Turkey's EU membership continues. "Turkey made the right progress with the right policies in this direction," Bagis said. Following a conference at Stockholm University, Bagis proceeded to the Swedish parliament, where he met with members of the EU and foreign affairs committees and a Turkish deputy of the Green Party, Mehmet Kaplan. Later on, Bagis had a tête-à-tête meeting with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. The two ministers held a joint press conference after their meeting, which lasted one hour. Speaking at the joint press conference, Bagis said, "Based on my talks today, I am pleased to note that Turkey is progressing in the right direction." Touching on the new Turkish constitution being drafted, Bagis said they are working on a constitution that Turkey deserves. Bildt, for his part, said, "Sweden pays much attention to the work on the Turkish constitution." The efforts being exerted to draft a new constitution will make Turkey stronger, he said. Bildt hosted a dinner in Bagis' honor after the press conference.