ANKARA
Turkey expects the European Union to show political will in the new year.
Ireland will take over the rotating EU Presidency from the Greek Cypriot administration on January 1st for six months.
Turkey predicts that during the Irish presidency, Turkey's EU negotiations will gain speed and several chapters which were blocked will be opened.
Turkey expects that two chapters which were earlier blocked by France will be opened in the first six months of Ireland's presidency.
Turkey's EU membership process took start in October 2005 and in the past 7 years. 13 chapters out of 33 were opened for negotiations and only one of them was provisionally closed between Turkey and EU.
17 of 20 chapters which were not opened in negotiation process were blocked by the Council of Europe and several member countries.
Turkish officials said that if the EU showed political will, all those chapters will be opened in a short period of time and Turkey would complete that period successfully.
Previously, Irish Minister of State for European Affairs Lucinda Creighton told AA that during Irish presidency they wished Turkey-EU relations to accelerate and they wanted to open at least one chapter.
Reporting by Ali Ozturk
