(Adds Foreign Minister's reaction)
As Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this morning reiterated Malta's support for Turkey's EU membership bid, Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando lashed out at the government on Facebook, saying it did not have a mandate to support Turkey's accession in the EU.
"This government does not have a mandate to support Turkey's accession to the EU.
"I, for one, am totally against it. Turkey is not culturally "European", accession would result in a wave of Turkish immigrants and widening the EU to include Turkey will prevent consolidation of the political and economic union which is already difficult in the current economic climate.
"Turkey is too big, and will therefore exercise too much power within the EU. It is also too poor, and will cost the rest of the EU too much.
"This issue should be discussed in parliament before we get declarations in favour of Turkey's accession and promises of support by our foreign minister," Dr Pullicino Orlando said.
Dr Pullicino Orlando said that this was a shameful matter on which he had expressed himself internally within the party, even with the Prime Minister.
Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said in a reply that Turkey was accepted as a candidate country by the European Union in 2004 and negotiations started in 2005
"At the time, all the EU member states had accepted this development. A candidate country can only accede to EU membership once it fulfils all the necessary criteria. There are 35 chapters to be fulfilled out of which 13 have been opened, eight frozen, five blocked and one chapter is provisionally closed.
The Foreign Ministry said that in December 2006, the European Council froze eight chapters until Turkey fulfilled its obligations to implement the additional protocol to the Association Agreement.
Once a country fulfilled all criteria, there should be no reason for not being accepted, Dr Borg said
He said that the final decision would be eventually taken by the Maltese Parliament since any addition of a new member needed parliamentary approval.
This morning, Dr Gonzi reiterated Malta's support for Turkey bid, as long as it adhered to all membership criteria when he welcomed Turkey's minister and chief negotiator of EU Affairs Egemen Bagis at Castille.
Mr Bagis expressed appreciation for Malta's support and looked forward to strengthening diplomatic and commercial relations between the two countries.
Opposition spokesman Leo Brincat expressed a stance in line with the government's during yesterday's Foreign Affairs Committee meeting.
Meanwhile, Turkish media reported that during the meeting with Dr Gonzi, Mr Bagis expressed his country's readiness to help organise a meeting in Malta to help settle the Cyprus issue.
"If you can convince the Greek Cypriot administration and Greece, I can promise you to bring the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Turkey and Britain to the meeting," Mr Bagis is reported to have told Dr Gonzi.