Socialist party leader Gianni Pittella said the European Union parliament is not trying to end relations with Turkey.
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Verhofstadt had earlier accused Erdogan of being part of a “ring of autocrats” along with Russian President Vladimir Putin and, potentially, US President-elect Donald Trump who were trying to undermine the EU.
European Parliament’s Vice-President Alexander Lambsdorff’s, ALDE shadow rapporteur on Turkey, called the accession talks with Turkey “fundamentally dishonest”. On Tuesday, the commission’s top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, argued against a halt to membership talks.
Guy Verhofstadt, head of the Liberals in the European Parliament, said the assembly was calling for EU officials to suspend negotiations with Turkey over membership of the bloc. I believe the best way to strengthening Turkey’s democracy – the most effective way – is by engaging with it, by keeping channels open. On Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang welcomed the idea of Turkish membership; but, analysts warn that Ankara’s bid would nearly inevitably be incompatible with Turkey’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation membership aspirations. “Germany is the country that supports terrorist organizations against Turkey the most”, Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara, as cited by Reuters. Relations were strained under President Barack Obama over Washington’s support for Syrian Kurdish militia, which Turkey regards as terrorists, and Turkish perceptions that Washington is reluctant to extradite a cleric blamed by Ankara for the coup.
More generally, Erdogan insisted journalists in his country were not jailed for their work, though over 120 members of the press are now in jail. We say “was” because it never actually happened.
Analysts say the EU’s indifference to Turkey reflects rising anti-Muslim sentiment and its unwillingness to deal with the refugees in the country. “They are still within the Armed Forces, they are still within the police, they are still within the judiciary and they are still within the various sections of the state”, Erdogan said.
“That’s really a question for the Justice Department, not the State Department”, he said.
“Should Turkey reintroduce the death penalty, we need to make very clear as well that such a country can not become a member of the European Union”.
Once again we gather to discuss Turkey, and rightly so. “There is nothing to be gained from ending the negotiations” over Turkey’s European Union bid, said Ulgen. Therefore, we should end the accession negotiations with Turkey immediately.
On the night of July 15, during the attempted coup d’État, we stood on the side of Turkey’s democracy and of the democratic institutions. The decree stated that all of them were “related, belonging to or in contact with terror organizations and structures that are considered by the National Security Council as acting against national security”.
Erdogan is also pressing to reinstate the death penalty, which Brussels has warned would automatically lead to a suspension of talks.
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“The EU needs to send a clear message to Turkey”.
