Turkey has welcomed a report by the European Commission that includes Ankara among twelve candidate countries wishing to join the European Union.

A statement by the Foreign Ministry said EU's reconition of Turkey as a candidate for full membership opens the way for improvement in bilateral ties.

But it rejected the report's criticism of Ankara's human rights record and the absence of civilian control over the army.

Turkey froze talks on sensitive issues with the EU last year after it excluded Turkey from membership talks The BBC Ankara correspondents says Turkey's hopes of joining the EU received a boost recently with the election of a new government in Germany.

He says Ankara had repeatedly accused the former German chancellor, Helmut Kohl, of being the major block to its ambition to join the EU.