ANKARA (AFP) -- Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul urged French President Nicolas Sarkozy Thursday to respect agreements between Turkey and the EU that recognise the mainly Muslim country's prospect of full membership.

Gul also gave the cold shoulder to a proposal by Sarkozy to set up a Mediterranean Union to boost regional cooperation.

"Turkey is a country that has started (accession) negotiations with the European Union. The negotiations started on the basis of a (EU) decision which was taken unanimously, including France," Anatolia news agency quoted Gul as saying.

"Putting obstacles to the progress of the negotiation process would amount to violating signatures and promises made in the past, which I do not think will happen," he said.

Sarkozy, who was sworn in Wednesday, is staunchly opposed to Turkey joining the EU, arguing that most of its territory is in Asia and that the idea of a united Europe would be diluted if its borders stretch that far.

He has called for a "privileged partnership" between the EU and Turkey instead of full membership.

Sarkozy also advocates a Mediterranean Union between countries along the Mediterranean rim in Europe, the Middle East and north Africa, including Turkey, to boost regional cooperation, a proposal that has met with suspicion here as a possible plan to divert Turkey from seeking EU membership.

"Turkey is one of the Mediterranean countries, but cooperation in the Mediterranean is one thing and cooperation within Europe is something else," Gul said.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sarkozy Tuesday that hostility towards Turkey's EU bid would fan anti-Europe sentiments among Turks and damage bilateral ties.

Turkey carried out a series of far-reaching democracy reforms to win the green light for accession talks in October 2005, despite strong opposition among the European public, notably in France, to the accession of the sizeable and relatively poor Muslim country.

A row over Ankara's refusal to grant trade privileges to arch-foe Cyprus led the EU in December to slow down the negotiations by freezing talks in eight of the 35 policy areas that candidates are required to complete.