Turkish State Minister and Chief Negotiator for EU talks Egemen Bagis said Wednesday "Turkey makes reforms to carry the Turkish people to better living standards.

The reforms are not being done to please the EU only. Turkey is getting more democratized and richer".

Egemen Bagis met with the members of Turkish-Swedish Business Council Executive Board over lunch in Istanbul on Wednesday.

"Sweden is the country that supports Turkey's EU membership most. Seven political parties in the Swedish parliament have declared their support to Turkish membership in the EU," Bagis said.

"Turkey pays high attention to relations with Sweden. Sweden will assume the EU presidency in the second half of 2009," Bagis said.

"We pay importance to working with the business world and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Turkey's relations with the EU. On March 9, we will initiate a project with the chairman of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) Rifat Hisarciklioglu and try to inform Turks in various provinces on the EU itself. The first visit will take place to south-eastern province of Siirt," Bagis said.

Bagis and an accompanying delegation will pay a visit to Sweden at the beginning of April, 2009.

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