Verheugen underlines Turkey's strategic importance

In a statement to EurActiv, former European commissioner and Vice President of the European Commission Gunter Verheugen underlined the economic and strategic importance of Turkey to the EU. "Strategically Turkey is the country that can be the mediator between Western democracies and the Islamic world.  It can play a very important role in terms of which direction the Arab or Islamic world will develop. These questions are absolutely crucial for our own future and we cannot do it without Turkey. Economically Turkey is potentially one of the strongest European economies, growing very fast. And Turkey is sitting in a region with a huge potential, meaning that Turkey would not weaken the EU - it would make it stronger. Without Turkey we can forget our ambition to be a global player in the future," Verheugen noted.