Finnish PM Vanhanen: "We could take in workers from Turkey"

Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, on a one-day visit to Turkey, yesterday said that his country's aging population will lead to labor shortages and so it could take in workers from other countries, including Turkey. In an interview with Aksam daily, Vanhanen urged European leaders to keep their promises, saying, "We have to fulfill our full membership commitment to Turkey." He added, "I am pleased with Turkey’s democratization initiative. …These steps meet Europe’s expectations on Kurds and other minorities. For example, the new TV channel in Kurdish is very important. I also told Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan how much we appreciate these steps."