Austria POPULATION --- 8 million
Best news I have heard all day! This is wonderful and I can only hope that (despite the Austrian Empire being allied with the Ottoman Empire in World War I) Austria sees the way clear for the preservation for what made Europe great. England has been way too pro-Turkish for centuries (e.g. Crimean War and the 1878 peace treaty) and I am glad to see their threats not moving Austria.
EU waits on Ankara's entry talks decision
From that article: Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, had earlier intervened phoning Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan giving America's continued support on a deal.
Quite frankly I do not understand what the US has to do with EU's membership negotiations. (Nor do I consider the EU has any right to interfere in say trade negotiations between the US and Mexico.)