Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in Ankara on December 18 that the road to EU is certainly long and difficult for Turkey.

Erdogan made the remarks at a celebration held in Kizilay Square of Ankara one day after the European Union (EU) set Oct. 3, 2005, for Turkey to start membership negotiations.

Hailing EU's decision as a success for Turkey, Erdogan said Turkey and its people should at the same time be aware of their responsibilities to make more progress on the road to a full EU membership.

Erdogan added that the future of Turkey would be bright.

The EU and Turkey reached a historic agreement on Friday to start accession talks on Oct. 3, 2005, after a last-minute haggling over Ankara's relationship with EU member Cyprus.

However, the 25 EU members said talks would be open-ended with no guaranteed outcome.

Source: Xinhua