Addressing the general assembly of Parliament, which held a session on the Turco-EU affairs, Erdogan said that there was a positive mood towards Turkey at the EU and EU Commissioner Gunther Verheugen had said that Turkey might be admitted as a member by 2011 or 2012 if she recorded progress on the Copenhagen criteria until December 2004. .
"THE LAST WORD OF SAY, BELONGS TO PARLIAMENT"
Erdogan said that there were some who placed emphasis on the tackling of the EU issue by the National Security Board but it was the government which deemed this necessary.
"MGK DECISIONS ARE ADVISORY"
However, Erdogan said that the MGK decisions were of advisory nature and the last word of say on the issue belonged to Parliament when it will soon handle the 6th Harmonization Package.
Erdoğan also said that the Turkish Armed Forces were the Milad of modernization in Turkey. "We do not deem discussing the EU issue at MGK as being a strange thing for this country. The advisory decisions of this board are not above the decision to be produced by Parliament. All members of MGK are conscious of this fact," he added.
