In his interview with the Italian Corriere della Sera newspaper, U.S. President Barack Obama said he believes Turkey should be a full member of the EU.

According to him, Turkey is a country of enormous strategic importance, connecting West and East. He noted that Turkey is a NATO ally and a country with Muslim majority which makes it an important model for other Islamic states of the region. The U.S. President stressed that due to these reasons it would be wise to accept Turkey into the EU.

Turkey has a long border with Iran where the conflicts are undesirable, Obama said, commenting on Ankara’s vote against sanctions for Iran.