March 28, 2011 - 13:28 AMT
Davutoglu: Turkey will be EU member by 2023

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Turkey will become a member of the European Union (EU) by 2023 when the country celebrates its the 100th anniversary.

"We will most definitely become a member of the EU by 2023," Davutoglu said when speaking at British think-tank Wilton Park conference on "Turkey's policies of engagement the contemporary world" in Istanbul.

Davutoglu also said Turkey's EU ambition is not against Russia or the United States, instead, Turkey wants to maintain strong ties with the two countries.

"We have model partnerships with the U.S. and Russia," he said, Xinhua reported.