President Gul: "A privileged partnership in lieu of EU membership is out of the question"

President Abdullah Gul yesterday met with his visiting Slovakian counterpart Ivan Gasparovic in Ankara. At a joint press conference later, asked about "privileged partnership" proposals for Turkey in lieu of full European Union membership, Gul said, "There's no such limited partnership in the EU. Turkey started to its full membership negotiations with a consensus and is determined to complete its negotiation process." For his part, Gasparovic reiterated that there's no such status in the EU and that Turkey will become a full member after fulfilling the necessary criteria like other candidates. Gasparovic also said he believes that Turkey's participation will enrich the EU. In related news, defense Minister Vecdi Gonul and his Slovakian counterpart Miroslav Lajdak signed a memorandum to construct a war cemetery for Turkish soldiers who lost their lives during World War I at the Galicia front.