Dominic Hannigan (Meath East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The visit of our Turkish guests is both a social and political event. Yesterday, the delegation visited Newgrange and Oldbridge House, the Battle of the Boyne site, in the Boyne Valley. Drogheda, a nearby town, has strong historical links with Turkey. The town’s emblem is the star and crescent dating back to the times of the Crusades. When I was in Ankara earlier this year, I met people from Drogheda doing business there. One of Turkey’s best football teams, Trabzonspor, came to Drogheda earlier this year to play against Drogheda United.

Turkish EU membership would provide great potential trade and other benefits to both Turkey and Ireland. Turkey’s economy is now one of the top dozen in the world. It is important we keep Turkey within the European family and encourage EU membership to be facilitated as soon as possible, a point this committee has expressed a desire to see on many occasions. We are very supportive of the delegation’s efforts.