Istanbul -Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday lashed out at the European Union for dragging its feet in releasing promised funds for Syrian refugees as well as providing visa-free travel for Turks into the passport-free Schengen zone. “Whether they do this under the current conditions we will have to wait and see”, Steinmeier told reporters.
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“The fact is there are conditions for the visa-free policy and they are known to everyone”, said Mr Steinmeier.
Erdogan also criticized unnamed Western countries for what he said was support for the attempted coup July 15 that left more than 270 people dead. “It’s not useful to threaten and put up ultimatums for each other”.
“If visa liberalisation does not follow, we will be forced to back away from the deal on taking back (refugees) and the agreement of March 18”, he said, adding that the Turkish government was waiting for a precise date for visa liberalisation.
“This coup attempt has actors inside Turkey, but its script was written outside”. Turkey has demanded his extradition, but the USA has asked for evidence of the cleric’s involvement.
Erdogan and many Turks have been frustrated by US and European criticism of a crackdown in the wake of the putsch, accusing the West of greater concern about the rights of the plotters than the gravity of the threat to a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation member state.
“We continue to request that relocations are speeded up”.
The vice-chancellor also welcomed a decision to prevent Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan from addressing via video-link a rally in Cologne on Sunday.
The president said Turkey had sent Germany more than 4,000 files on what he said were wanted terrorists, but Germany did nothing.
Sigmar Gabriel, also leader of the ruling coalition’s Social Democrats party, told Turkey not to take its position as a partner to the European Union for granted. Some 19,000 alleged government critics have been arrested since the coup attempt some two weeks ago.
Kern said that although the freedom to protest is protected in Austria, unlike in Turkey, the country will come down with full force on those who incite violence.
Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz expressed a similar sentiment, saying that Brussels “should not give a millimeter” to Turkey’s demands, the Local reported.
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Turkey has detained thousands of people suspected of association with the failed military coup last month.
