ROME - Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi said on Sunday that Turkey`s membership in the European Union would be "an invaluable resource" as soon as the country fulfilled the necessary reforms.
"We believe that when it fulfills the reforms needed in the membership process, Turkey will be an invaluable sources for the EU. But of course we need patience and wisdom to achieve this goal," Prodi told an exclusive interview with the AA.
The Italian premier also urged to avoid temporary tensions and emotional approaches in assessing Turkey`s membership, which he said was "an issue of historical importance."
Prodi reiterated his center-right government`s support for Turkish membership in the Union.
"In terms of the continuity in Italian policy on Turkey`s EU bid, there are no differences of opinion between consecutive Italian governments," he said.
Prodi is scheduled to meet Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in his two-day visit to Turkey, which begins on Monday, Jan. 22nd.
Prodi cited strong bilateral relations in every field with Turkey and said Turkish integration with the EU would be high on the agenda of his visit.
"In this regard, we expect Turkey to strengthen its efforts to take concrete steps in fulfilling the reforms and extend its customs union agreement to include Cyprus," the Italian premier noted.
Touching on the Cyprus issue, Prodi said that as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, Italy would exert efforts to find a solution to the problem, which he hoped would come by end of 2008.
"We believe that the United Nations is best fit for discussing the Cyprus problem," Prodi said.