Turkey's EU minister says Turkey to continue reforms

-BRUSSELS (A.A) - Turkey's European Union (EU) minister and chief negotiator said on Tuesday that Turkey would go on making reforms. Egemen Bagis said no one could halt Turkey's reforms by putting obstacles before its EU membership. "Domestic reforms in Turkey continue more rapidly than ever," Bagis said during a meeting at the European Policy Center in Brussels, Belgium. Bagis said that he saw prejudice as the biggest obstacle before Turkey's EU membership, and some European politicians were exploiting Turkey's EU membership bid in their election campaigns.  "We need the EU less each passing day, however EU's need for us is increasing. When we meet at the same level some time later, membership will happen because there is no room for sentimentalism in international relations," he said. Bagis said if Turkey's economic growth continued in the same pace, visa problem would probably be solved. Moreover, Bagis said Turkey was ready to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot ships and aircraft only if the EU kept its commitment to end isolation of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). "Today, many countries in the world does not recognize Taiwan but are trading with Taiwan," Bagis also said. Turkey became an EU candidate country in December 1999. The union launched accession talks with Turkey on October 3, 2005. The EU has so far opened 13 of the 35 chapter headings to negotiations with Turkey.