Swedish envoy supports Turkey's EU membership
YAYINLAMA
GÜNCELLEME
Swedish Ambassador to Turkey Hakan Akesson yesterday said that he attached great importance to Turkey's membership. Speaking to the Zaman daily, Akesson stated that Turkey's membership would strengthen the EU politically and especially enable the EU to gain a new perspective regarding foreign policy. "What's more, this will strengthen the labor market in Europe. As Europe grows old, Turkey becomes younger. For this and many other reasons, Turkey should become a member of the EU," Akesson said. Speaking on relations between Sweden and Turkey, Akesson said, "I came to Turkey in September 2010. Our Foreign Minister Carl Bildt visited Turkey five times during my term of office. I think even this is sufficient to show the level of relations between the two countries. On top of that, considering the growing economies of the two countries, I believe that economic cooperation between Turkey and Sweden could be further boosted." Akesson said that he was quite happy to see more and more Swedish tourists coming to Turkey every year, adding, "The number of Swedish tourists visiting Turkey is increasing day by day. Last year, 550,000 Swedish tourists visited Turkey. This figure was approximately 450,000 the year before. We expect an increase of over 25 percent in 2012. These figures are the best indicator of how happy Swedish people are in Turkey."