Erdogan: Reform document shows commitment to EU bid

By Sena Guler

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's new judicial reform package shows the country's commitment to full EU membership despite "unkept promises" President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.

"With this reform document, even though the promises given to us were not kept, we express our commitment to the full EU membership process," Erdogan told a program at Bestepe Congress Center where he unveiled the country’s Judicial Reform Strategy Document.

"We believe that the completion of the EU negotiation process, which has been ongoing since 2005 despite everything, bears importance for Europe at least as much as it does for us," Erdogan added.

Turkey applied for EU membership in 1987 and accession talks began in 2005.

However, negotiations stalled in 2007 due to objections by the Greek Cypriot administration on the divided island of Cyprus as well as opposition from Germany and France.

According to the reforms, pregnant women, children, and elderly charged with petty crimes will be allowed to serve their sentences at home via electronic tagging.

Erdogan also said the reform document would increase citizens’ confidence in judiciary and it will provide a foreseeable investment environment.

He also added that the document would strengthen the freedom of speech and improve it further.