May 14, 2002 - 23:19 AMT
TURKISH VICE PREMIER THINKS TURKEY MIGHT STOP EXISTING IN TEN YEARS
"Turkey will stop existing in ten years" has stated vice premier of the country Masut Yilmaz. As "De-Facto" agency has stated with reference to "Press-Center.Ru" Russian Internet portal, anxiety concerning the Copenhagen summit taking place at the year-end and in the course of which the issue regarding the country's joining the European Union will be discussed is becoming more day by day. In his speech Masut Yilmaz has stated that if Turkey stays out of Europe this time, it will stop existing as a united country in ten years. "We are going through the most critical time of the most critical year", noted he and added that "if we do not achieve anything in Copenhagen, in not developed countries like Bulgaria and Romania, the per capita income will be more by three to five than in Turkey in ten years". According to Yilmaz, Turkey has only two months in reserve. The report on reforms for the consideration in the EU must be ready in these two months. Yilmaz named the key difficulties Turkey faces in its way to the EU. They are "issue of Cyprus, Kurd language prohibition and capital punishment".