Turkey may drop EU talks under public pressure: Cavusoglu
The Turkish government may abandon its long drive to join the European Union under mounting public pressure, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says.
The Turkish official said on Tuesday that people in Turkey see the European Union applying double standards toward their country.
“We are under huge pressure to stop the negotiating process,” Cavusoglu, who was speaking at a forum in the Slovene mountain resort of Bled, said, adding, “Turkish people see the double standard.”
The top Turkish diplomat again criticized the EU and its key members for failing to properly condemn an abortive coup in Turkey, which came in mid-July and led to more than 250 deaths, saying EU leaders failed to show sufficient solidarity with Turkey after the deadly move.
The EU has been critical of the way Turkey has dealt with plotters and sympathizers of the failed coup, saying Ankara’s jailing and dismissal of tens of thousands was beyond the rule of law.
Tensions over the coup have further strained relations between Ankara and Brussels. Turkey, which started its formal bid to join the EU in 1987 and has for long sought a place in the continental body, routinely alleges that the EU treats it differently compared to other candidate nations.
The EU blames the delay in accession on Turkey’s human rights record. Turks say, however, that the main obstacle in the way for the bloc to accept Turkey is the country’s vast population of Muslims, which the EU leaders claim to be a potential threat.
The EU promised Turkey as part of a deal in March to curb the flow of refugees that Ankara could benefit from some privileges, including accelerated talks on membership and visa-free travels for Turks into EU’s Schengen Area. However, the EU Commission, the executive arm of the EU, later said Ankara should redefine its terrorism laws to enjoy the benefits, further disappointing Turkish leaders about any prospect of closer relations with the bloc.
Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that Turkey would break its pledges regarding the accommodation of war and poverty refugees on its soil if the EU did not uphold its promise on visa-free travel. He also warned that the EU was already on the path to instability as a result of economic problems and the issue of refugees.
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