Turkish State Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis said Saturday that Turkey was determined to be more democratic, contemporary and prosperous.
Bagis received Saturday the President of the Executive Board of the Animal Rights Federation (HAYTAP) Ahmet Kemal Senpolat and a group of animal rights defenders at the Ortakoy Office of the Secretariat General of the European Union.
Speaking to reporters at the beginning of the meeting, Bagis said that it was high time to bring certain issues to the table, especially issues that no one dared to face.
Turkey is in a term in which animal rights are being looked at from a different perspective and I thank all the volunteers who have displayed sensitivity on this matter, Bagis said.
Every issue in Turkey is going through a transformation. We call this transformation as a country trying to reach EU standards. As a result, Turkey is determined to be more democratic, more transparent, and more prosperous. By being more transparent, we mean putting certain issues that could not be faced in the past on the table. We are in a position to end problems and bring them to the minimum point possible. We can not otherwise be a country with EU standards, be an inspiration to the peoples in our region and leave a legacy to future generations that they could be proud of, Bagis noted.
Today, we will discuss ways for cooperation on animal rights, using EU funds for animal rights and establishing standards for animal shelters, Bagis also said.
Bagis’s meeting with animal rights defenders later continued behind closed doors.
AA
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