ATHENS, July 22 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso on Sunday said in a newspaper interview that Turkeyis not ready to become a European Union member.

    "Turkey is not ready to become an EU member and the EU is not ready to accept Turkey as a member. Neither tomorrow nor the day after tomorrow," Barroso told the Kathimerini newspaper.

    Millions of Turks flocked to vote on Sunday in a parliamentary elections seen as crucial to the future of the large Muslim state.

    But Barroso urged EU member states not to shut the door on Turkey altogether.

    France's President Nicolas Sarkozy, who took office earlier this year, has said he opposes Turkish EU membership. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan fears Sarkozy may try to block the continuation of Ankara's accession negotiations.