French President Jacques Chirac and visiting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said Tuesday that to hastily reject Turkey's accession to the European Union (EU) might lead to turbulence in the bloc.

At a joint press conference after the 24th French-Italian Summit, Chirac said that in the long run, Turkey's admission into the EU would help the organization remain peaceful, democratic and powerful.

He also stressed that it would be a protracted effort before Turkey could join the EU, which may take as long as between 10 and 15 years.

On the fact that most French now object to Turkey's membership,Chirac said nobody could foresee where public opinion would shift 15 years from now on. By then, France would hold a referendum on the issue, he said.

Berlusconi also told reporters that a "no" to Turkey would be an unforgivable mistake.

He said Turkey's admission would help to build a bridge between West European countries and Islamic countries.

He stressed that if the EU refuses to embrace Turkey, the country's "love" toward the bloc might change into "hatred."

At the summit, Chirac and Berlusconi agreed to launch an ambitious joint frigate-building program that will be one of Europe's biggest-ever naval projects.

They also reached agreement on the opening of the airspace in efforts to fight terrorism.

Source: Xinhua