Turkey is the gateway to the Caucasus, Middle East & Central Asia.

Bagis describes Ireland as Europe’s gate to north America

Turkey’s EU Affairs Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis on Tuesday received Irish Minister of State for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton and held a meeting with her in Ankara.

Bagis said on the sidelines of meeting that Ireland was Europe’s gate to North America, just as Turkey is the continent’s gateway to the Black Sea, the Caucasus, the Middle East and Central Asia.

“Turkey and Ireland are located at two opposite edges of Europe. However, they can never be perceived as isolated countries,” Bagis said.

Stating that Turkey has already started preparations for the Irish rotating presidency which is set to begin in January 2013, Bagis added that despite the current so-called term presidency of the union, the Irish presidency has already started for Turkey, and that it would consider it a 12-month post, not a six-month title.

Thus Bagis thus disregarded the current presidency of the Greek Cypriot administration, which took the reins of the EU from Denmark on July 1.

11.07.2012
SOURCE: HDN