HELSINKI, Finland, March 13 (UPI) -- Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu Saturday called for the European Union to seek more influence in the Middle East and the South Caucasus.
Davutoglu spoke in advance of an informal meeting with seven of his EU counterparts in northern Finland, the EUobserver reported.
Davutoglu said the EU should be "much more active than it is today" in foreign policy, the report said.
"We want the EU to be much more active in all international affairs and also much more visionary, because the EU itself is a good example of how countries who had serious difficulties, the worst tensions in the past, came together based on the principle of values as well as economic interests," the foreign minister said.
Turkish accession to the EU has stalled, largely due to its refusal to open ports to Cyprus, the EUobserver said.
