Barroso, Erdogan discuss Syria, Iran

 President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, met here Tuesday with the visiting Turkish Prime-Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discussed EU-Turkey bilateral relations. As the EU and Turkey are close allies, Barroso made clear that Turkey remains a very important partner and that the EU wishes to continue deepening relations in their mutual interest, noted a statement released by Barroso's office.The European Commission and the Turkish Government are both central in keeping the momentum in the accession negotiations over the last year. "All this shows our willingness to move forward," stressed Barroso. Barroso and Erdogan also discussed the Kurdish peace process and the situation in Syria, Egypt, Iran, South Caucasus, and Westerns Balkan.Erdogan is to meet other EU leders later today and hold a press conference.