ISTANBUL
Turkish Minister of European Union (EU) Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said that "had there been a solution in the island of Cyprus, the Greek Cypriots would not have gone bankrupt with investments, tourism revenues and the positive climate that a solution would have brought."
Speaking to reporters at Istanbul's Ataturk International Airport after returning from a formal trip to Hungary, Egemen Bagis said that the Greek Cypriot bankruptcy was the result of the clumsiness of their administration.
Touching on the Patriot missiles to be deployed in Turkey, Bagis said that the Patriot missiles were crucial for Turkey's security.
"The Patriot missiles are important for the safety of Turkish citizens and not just Europeans," Bagis noted.
It was a shame for EU member countries not to let in Turkey as a member of the EU since Turkey was a NATO member, Bagis said.
"I do hope that they will correct such a shame by letting Turkey in," Bagis also said.
