Turkey’s Erdogan: EU membership remains strategic goal

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that membership in the European Union remains a “strategic goal” for his country despite the uneasy relationship with the 28-member bloc.

Erdogan was speaking in Istanbul before departing for the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Varna to attend a likely arduous summit meeting with EU leaders.

Erdogan said he would urge the EU to remove “political and artificial” hurdles against Turkey’s membership and revive stalled accession negotiations during talks with European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk.

“As Turkey, we have been continuing on our way with the goal of full membership (of the EU) despite all the mines that were planted on out path and barriers in front of us,” he told reporters. “Today, membership in the European Union remains a strategic goal for us.”