Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan yesterday condemned a decision by the European Union to partially suspend his country's accession talks but vowed to press on with reforms aimed at preparing Ankara for membership.

EU foreign ministers decided on Monday evening to suspend Turkey's accession talks in eight of the 35 chapters, or policy areas, into which the process is divided following Ankara's continued refusal to open its ports to traffic from Cyprus.

"This decision is unfair to Turkey... Despite our efforts, Turkey-EU relations are passing through a serious test," Mr Erdogan told members of his ruling AK Party.

"Our reform process will continue with the same decisiveness," said Mr Erdogan, whose government has pushed through a heavy programme of political, social and economic reform in a bid to meet EU demands.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said the EU ministers' decision betrayed "a lack of vision".

EU debate over 'punishing' Turkey mirrors deeper-running differences within the bloc over the desirability of admitting a large, relatively poor and predominantly Muslim country. France and Austria, among others, view Turkey's candidacy sceptically, while Britain backs membership as an important strategic move.

In encouraging news for Ankara, EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said yesterday the bloc was ready to open new negotiating chapters with Turkey soon.