(ANKARA) - Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik told Turkey Monday that it should not expect to automatically join the European Union and urged Ankara to pursue democratic reforms to catch up with the bloc.

"Austria's position (with regards to Turkey's accession) remains unchanged," Plassnik told a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan.

"I have made it clear that for us (membership) negotiations with Turkey ... should be open-ended," Plassnik said, adding that accession talks should not guarentee automatic membership.

"We have to explore together the exact content of our future relationship," Plassnik said.

Austria, whose public opinion is overwhelmingly against Turkey's entry into the EU, had insisted that Ankara be offered an option other than full membership when the bloc gave the green light in 2005 to begin accession talks with Turkey.

Turkey says the only goal of the negotiations is full membership.

Plassnik also urged Turkey to implement European values and norms in daily life and to continue adopting further reforms to improve its democracy.

Babacan said Turkey would not deviate from its path of reform despite upcoming "challenges", an allusion to a bid by the country's top prosecutor to ban the governing party for anti-secular activity.

Turkey has so far opened accession talks in only six of the 35 policy areas that candidates are required to complete amid a row over Cyprus and strong opposition to its membership in some EU countries.

The EU froze negotiations on eight chapters in 2006 in response to Turkey's refusal to grant trade privileges to Cyprus, which Ankara does not recognise, under a customs union pact with the bloc.

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