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ANKARA - ''Turkey's membership of the EU is not an 'if' but a 'when' issue,'' Egemen Bagis, adviser to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for foreign affairs, said on Saturday.



In an interview with the Financial Times, Bagis said, ''the EU is going through a crisis, and Turkey is chosen as a pretext. Despite the recent chatter, Turkey will confidently keep walking towards its goal of integration with Europe.''

''This process legally started in 1963. If some continental politicians are acting as if they first heard about Turkey last winter, take it for amusement. Turkey is too much of an important country to be misplaced in a political confusion,'' he indicated.

Bagis noted, ''we believe Britain's current EU presidency will be pivotal in injecting the necessary good sense into minds. I am glad to reiterate that Ankara and London share exactly the same views about the EU and its future. We appreciate British government's leadership.'' ''Turkey's EU membership process is also closely watched by the 1.5 billion in the Muslim world. Turkey in the EU means Christians and Muslims can integrate around shared principles of democracy, human rights, rule of law, market economy and free enterprise. Religious and political fanaticism and terror are our common enemy. Turkey is for the harmony of civilizations and religions, and its EU membership is not an 'if' but a 'when' issue. This is not a process for weak knees. We remain determined,'' Bagis added.

** Turkish daily press