The prime minister of Sweden, Fredrik Reinfeldt, paid a visit yesterday to Kulu, a small district in Konya in central Turkey, where he stressed that the European Union cannot ignore Turkey's power, adding that the 27-member bloc needs Turkey as much as Turkey needs the EU.

The Swedish prime minister's visit to that small district may seem odd, but today about 100,000 Turks are living in Sweden, most of whom are from Kulu. This population resulted mainly from the migrations that took place from Kulu to Sweden beginning in the early 1960s. Therefore, Reinfeldt came to this county to meet people as well as representatives of local authorities, where almost every person living here has a relative in Sweden, and most of them are Swedish nationals as well. Reinfeldt first arrived in the municipality building in Kulu, where he was welcomed by Konya Gov. Osman Aydın, members of Parliament from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) representing Konya and Kulu Mayor Ahmet Yıldız. He first watched folk dances performed by children in front of the building and then walked into the meeting hall, where he delivered a speech. Swedish PM Fredrik Reinfeldt paid a visit yesterday to Kulu, a small district in Konya in central Turkey where most Turks living in Sweden today are from. Highlighting the strong relations between Sweden and Turkey, the Swedish prime minister particularly pointed to the human factor in the bilateral relations. “Those who have arrived in Sweden from Turkey have established a humanitarian foundation between us. They have fulfilled important functions for the existence and development of my country,” he said.Reinfeldt also touched upon the Turkish pursuit of EU membership. He asserted that the good relations between Sweden and Turkey should be replicated between the EU and Turkey. “The EU needs Turkey and Sweden as much as those two countries need the EU. It is impossible for the EU to ignore Turkey's power. The bridges built between us by our common history stand as a foundation for the future,” he said, reiterating that Sweden firmly supports Turkish accession to the EU. 22 April 2009, WednesdayTODAY'S ZAMAN WITH WIRES  İSTANBUL