| | | | The award to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced late Tuesday evening, was in recognition of the reforms implemented by Turkey in its efforts to meet the European Union’s requirements for accession negotiations.
The award comes just over two weeks before EU leaders meet to decide whether Turkey should be given a date to commence membership talks with the bloc.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Erdogan said that the EU admitting Turkey to its ranks would be a gesture of peace and reconciliation.
“With Turkey’s accession to the EU, Europe will demonstrate that it is not a continent where civilisations clash, but where they reconcile and make peace,” he said. | |
