Turkey has reaffirmed its commitment to meet standards for European Union membership, after critics said momentum toward that goal had slowed.

Following meetings Monday in Ankara with EU diplomats, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul denied that Turkish commitment to joining the Union is lagging.

Also speaking after the talks, Luxembourg Deputy Foreign Minister Nicolas Schmit, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, said that Turkey must continue to implement reforms.

Turkey has yet to sign a customs pact that it agreed to in December. The pact includes Cyprus, but does not require Ankara to officially recognize the Greek Cypriot government on the divided island. The European Union has indicated that Turkish goodwill gestures involving the divided island, which joined the EU last May, could help Ankara when it begins EU membership talks in October.

Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.