ISTANBUL
Turkey's EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis said Turkey was the key country to solve the problems of EU.
Bagis spoke at the opening ceremony of the 8th Allgau-Orient Peace and Friendship Rally in Blue Mosque square, Istanbul.
Referring to the solution process of the Kurdish issue and EU membership Bagis said, "EU needs Turkey in order to get out of the economic crisis. Turkey is the key country to solve the problems of EU, and we want to end EU's problems."
Emphasizing that the living standards in Turkey have been increased step by step, Bagis said, "Turkey has become a country which sends messages of democracy, stability, transparency, and brotherhood to the countries in the region. Now, we are about to get rid of the terror problem that has been a blood-sucking trouble for 40 years in this country."
He thanked rally drivers who came to Istanbul from all over the world for their contribution to peace and friendship.
The 8th Allgau-Orient Peace and Friendship Rally, including 280 cars from 20 countries, started in Germany on 28th April and will go on in Israel passing through some Turkish provinces.
The rally, consisting of 111 teams and 600 rally drivers, will end in Jordan when the drivers after the last leg, deliver the cars to the Jordan Princess.
