The Bosphorus bridges do not only straddle the two sides of Ystanbul but they also unite the continents of Europe and Asia. And this, not only in geographic terms, but in the political and cultural senses of the word as well. The Turks have been Europeans for 600 years. But the Turks are not only Europeans. They are also Asian, Caucasian and Middle Eastern at once.
Turkey is a power in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea basins and the Balkans.
It is becoming the energy terminal where the gas and oil riches of the Caspian Basin and the Caucasus will be transported to world markets. As such, it is living testimony to the interaction between Europe and Asia and the confluence of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Turkey, is the leader country in democracy and secularism among the countries having a majority of Muslim population. These are precisely why, Turkey's membership to the European Union is not just to the benefit of Turkey, but to the Union as well. I am well aware that we have some ground to cover in further raising the standards in the fields of human rights and democracy, as well as remedying a number of shortcomings in our economy.