Spain backs Turkey's EU membership

Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy Tuesday expressed full support for Turkey to join the European Union (EU), saying Ankara was a strategic partner for Madrid and rest of Europe. Rajoy, at a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, urged Turkey to comply with the EU membership criteria. Turkey became a candidate to join the EU in 1999 and official accession negotiations began in 2005. Rajoy said Spain and Turkey were bound to strong political, economic, military and cultural ties. Turkey is the third largest market of Spanish goods. Rajoy praised Turkey as a model of the prosperous democratic society, and played a great role to boosting cooperation among Mediterranean countries. Erdogan thanked Rajoy for his support for Turkey's membership, noting there were more than 400 Spanish investors in Turkey. He urged European leaders to push forward Turkey's accession process. Erdogan said Turkey has a strategic importance in Europe. Trade exchange between Turkey and Spain was eight billion euros in 2011.