Parliament Speaker Cemil Çiçek said Turkey’s failure to become member of the EU would not be “the end of the world.”

Yesterday Çiçek held a meeting with Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen. Çiçek said he was grateful for the support given by Finland in Turkey’s EU entry bid.

“The EU accession of a country with population that is predominantly Muslim but has adopted democratic values would have big symbolic importance for the EU,” Çiçek said before the meeting. He added that the EU was expected to be fair in its attitudes towards Turkey.