Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said here Sunday that talks on his country's adhesion to the European Union could last until 2019.
Erdogan, speaking to German and Turkish business leaders, said the Turkish government could not predict whether Ankara would become an EU member "in 10 or 15 years."
He criticised political leaders opposed to Turkey joining the EU who argued that it did not belong to European civilisation.
Some European political leaders needed to "change their mentality," he said, adding that Turkey considered itself to share a "likeness of European values."
The European Commission will on Wednesday release a report that will evaluate the progress Turkey has achieved in embracing EU norms and make a recommendation on whether EU leaders should decide to open membership talks with Ankara at a December 17 summit.
The EU report, already seen by AFP, says that Turkey has made significant reforms to prepare to one day join the EU, but that it still falls short in many key areas.
Turkey claims that it has fulfilled the required political criteria to begin such talks and says it deserves a firm date.