EU membership is not an obsession for Turkey: deputy PM

By Senhan Bolelli

MADRID

The Turkish deputy prime minister for the economy said on Thursday that the EU membership was not an obsession for Turkey, adding both sides needed each other.

"Turkey needs the block for democracy [...] while the EU needs Turkey for economic dynamism and international relations as well as a safe and stable neighbor," Mehmet Simsek said during an official visit to the Spanish capital Madrid.

He also commented on recent domestic developments.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced on Thursday that he would not stand in the vote for his party chairmanship, a role he currently holds alongside the premiership, which entails he will also be replaced as prime minister.

"It seems that we [Turkey] are going to experience a premier change due to the difference in opinions. A new election should not be planned in Turkey. The thing to be done is to improve the current situation," Simsek said.

Davutoglu said he would step down after an extraordinary party meeting on May 22 and not to be a candidate for the office again.

He has been a member of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party since 2002 and has led it since August 2014.

The party held its last extraordinary congress in August 2014, when Davutoglu replaced Recep Tayyip Erdogan as prime minister after Erdogan became president.