“Turkey will go on implementing EU criteria,” said Babacan as he spoke at the opening ceremony of Forum Istanbul meeting Thursday.
The country “is not in a position to learn much from the EU” regarding the economy, he said. Still, “Turkey should not move away from its EU targets as the country is still not at the same level of democracy, fundamental rights and freedom and legal framework with EU members,” said.
“Maybe one day the EU will realize its need for Turkey and invite us for EU membership due to decreasing economic power of the union,” he said. “Maybe we will not join the EU like Norway and join if there is need in the future.”
Many European countries are struggling in the economic crisis with lack of efficient leadership and ruled by coalition governments that have been unable to generate solutions to economic problems, he said.
Europe lost its two seats in International Monetary Fund, or IMF, to developing economies due to the crisis and uncertainty in the eurozone,” he said. “Turkey aims to gain seats now.”
If Turkey was an EU member, the IMF seat would not have been lost, he said.
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