 The AK Party Era: After the elections, the 58th Government was set up by Abdullah Gül, Kayseri Deputy of the AK Party.
During this period AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoðan spoke with the premiers of many European countries and attended various meetings in 14 EU countries, in an effort to secure Turkey’s acceptance into the EU. The most significant political events of this period were the decision at the EU’s Copenhagen summit to set the calendar of accession talks for Turkey’s full membership December 2004 and TGNA’s refusal to delegate the power “to allow the presence of foreign troops in Turkey as well as to dispatch troops to foreign countries,” which the government requested just before the Iraq war.
When the restrictions regarding his right to stand in elections were lifted, AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoðan was
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elected deputy in the by-elections in Siirt and took over the duty of premiership from Abdullah Gül by establishing the 59th Government.
Through the economic policies of this period, a growth rate at the targeted level was achieved and inflation was brought down.
During the same time, exports rose at record levels, and the tourist sector took great strides both in terms of the number of visitors and the infrastructure. Social support projects and improvements were carried out in the areas of energy, agriculture, health, education and work life.
The 59th Government, taking over from where previous governments had left off, carried on relations with the EU with the same vigor and resolve. Legal and structural reforms
were carried out within the framework of harmonization
with
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