BUDAPEST
Speaking at a conference in Budapest, Hungary on Thursday, Bagis said that Turkey's motto in its membership negotiations with the EU was "hang on Europe, Turkey is coming to save you".
Noting that Turkey had a strategic location which connected eastern and western worlds, Bagis said that Turkey's EU membership would become a unique opportunity which could globalize continental peace project.
Turkey preserves its determination in EU membership process, said Bagis, adding that Turkey was determined to pursue its reform agenda which would increase the life standards of Turkish citizens.
All unfair political blockades before Turkey should be lifted and Turkey's accession process should be revived, said Bagis.
Turkey has adopted 320 laws and 1,555 secondary regulations in order to adjust its own legislation with the EU acquis since 2011, said Bagis.
He noted that so far 13 chapter headings had been opened and one of them was temporarily closed to negotiations in Turkey's accession talks, adding that 17 of the remaining 20 chapter headings were blocked due to political obstacles brought by some of the EU member countries.
Recalling that Turkey had Europe's 6th and world's 17th biggest economy, Bagis said that Turkey was also the fastest growing economy of Europe and the second fastest growing economy of the world with 8.5 percent growth rate in 2011.
Bagis said that Turkey was important in the aspect of European energy security, adding that Turkey was a natural energy bridge between Caspian basin, Middle East and EU countries.
As long as a wireless energy transfer technology is not invented, Europe will have to cooperate with Turkey in energy area, said Bagis.
Some EU countries are preventing the opening of energy chapter but it is against the interests of the EU, he noted.
Regarding Turkish-Hungarian relations, Bagis said that trade volume between the two countries, which had been 240 million USD in 1997, reached two billion USD in 2012.
He noted that first Turcology chair in the world had been founded in Hungary in 1870, adding that the Hungarology chair at Ankara University had been established in 1935.
