The statement by Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator

Turkey is sincerely committed to its obligations arising from the EU acquis and the principle of the rule of law. I invite our European friends to avoid bias and maintain equanimity when commenting on domestic developments in Turkey which also have political dimensions. There should be no doubts that Turkey will overcome this challenging process through the guidance of democracy and the fundamental principles of law. By this occasion, I would like to reiterate the importance of opening Chapters 23 and 24 to negotiations without delay, as indicated in the European Commision's 2013 Progress Report on Turkey.