British PM defends Turkey's EU bid, cements ties with first visit

by Wang Xiuqiong, Zheng Jinfa

With his first visit to Turkey since coming into office, British Prime Minister David Cameron cemented ties with Turkey by defending the Muslim country's bid to join the European Union (EU) and underlining its rising regional influence.

At a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday, Cameron argued the EU will benefit from Turkey's membership as the country has great economic potential and increasing influence in the Middle East.

He rejected concerns that Turkey's accession to EU would bring a wave of immigrants to Europe, saying immigration pressure will decrease as Turkish economy continues to expand rapidly.

Turkey's economy spearheaded with an annual growth of 11.7 percent in the first quarter of this year, compared with a Europe deeply mired in debt crisis.

A better relationship with Turkey is part of Britain's new vision for its foreign policy. Speaking earlier this month, British Foreign Secretary William Hague vowed for "particular diplomatic effort to work with Turkey", describing Turkey as " Europe's biggest emerging economy."

In a speech delivered to the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) in Ankara earlier Tuesday, Cameron said Turkey's fast rising economy can bring great opportunities to British businesses.

The new British government aims to double trade with Turkey, which currently totals 9 billion U.S. dollars a year, over the next five years, he said.

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