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 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the EU on Tuesday of stalling Muslim Turkey's membership bid by changing accession rules and said Turks were weary of "waiting at the gates" of Europe.

Erdogan spoke to Reuters on the same day the European Commission, executive arm of the European Union, chided Ankara for failing to revive key reforms in areas including as media freedom and human rights.

"We have been kept waiting at the gates of the EU for 50 years," Erdogan said in an interview, underlining Ankara's mounting frustration at the slow pace of accession talks.

"We are still waiting and waiting and still in the negotiating process," adding Turkey's public opinion was becoming "offended with the situation".

Erdogan reiterated Ankara's long-held position that it will open its ports and airports to traffic from Cyprus when the EU ends its embargo of the Turkish enclave in the north of Cyprus -- a territory recognised only by Ankara.