Europe needs Turkey more than ever - Council of Europe official - Forbes.com

Europe needs Turkey more than ever - Council of Europe official - Forbes.com

"Europe needs Turkey more than ever - Council of Europe official
11.09.2005, 11:44 AM

ANKARA (AFX) - Turkey has an 'indispensable' role to play in defusing tensions between West and East and bolstering European stability, the president of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly said Wednesday.

Speaking before the Turkish parliament, Rene van der Linden backed Turkey's bid to join the European Union, but stressed that Turkish democracy still had shortcomings despite significant progress over the past few years.
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