Brussels, 17/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - On the strength of its overwhelming electoral victory last weekend, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) is “determined to continue our European Union accession through extensive reforms, with a strong emphasis on the rule of law, individual liberties and prosperity”, the Turkish foreign minister and chief negotiator for membership to the EU, Egemen Bagis, said. In order to emphasise this commitment, the Turkish government has also set an ambitious timetable, he pointed out, saying it would meet “the membership criteria by the end of 2013” so that the Turkish Republic can “celebrate the Turkish Republic's 2023 centennial, as a strong EU member”. He also called on the opposition parties to support “Turkey's EU transformation”. The first thing to do now is to “adopt a civilian constitution based on national consensus. This constitution will also mark an important step for our EU accession process”, Bagis explains in a press release on 16 June. Turkey expects the EU to be “fair”. Ankara is ready to “contribute so that the EU can remain globally relevant and prosperous”. The country is also aware of the fact that the accession process “is under the watch of the Muslim world”, Bagis added. (H.B./transl.jl)