Turkey’s application to join EU wanes with Erdogan

TURKEY: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Turkey could hold a public vote on whether to continue its negotiations to join the European Union, amid fraught relations between the two sides.

Erdogan said that after an April 16 referendum on expanding his presidential powers, Turkey could choose to hold another vote on EU accession, which he likened to Britain’s decision to leave the bloc.

‘‘Whatever our people decide, we will abide,’’ Erdogan said in Antalya at a British-Turkish conference.

Earlier in the day, Erdogan said he accepted that reintroducing the death penalty could put an end to his country’s bid to join the EU.

‘‘They say . . . if the death penalty returns, Turkey will not have a place in the EU – let it be so.’’

Since a bloody coup attempt last year, Erdogan has increasingly promoted bringing back capital punishment for plotters.

‘‘They say if a ‘yes’ vote comes out on April 16 they will not take us into the EU. Oh, if only they could take that decision. It will make our work easier,’’ Erdogan said in Antalya. He referred to the referendum date as a ‘‘breaking point’’.

He repeated for the third day in a row that he would continue to call European leaders ‘‘Nazis’’ and ‘‘fascists’’ as long as he was being dubbed a ‘‘dictator.’’

A war of words broke out two weeks ago between the Turkish leadership and several European countries over campaigning by Turkish politicians abroad for the referendum.

Erdogan said he would look to review Turkey’s political and administrative relationship with the EU. Turkey is a candidate country to join the bloc though its accession process is stuck.

In his latest campaign speeches, Erdogan insisted terrorist organisations are supporting the ‘‘no’’ campaign in the referendum next month. – DPA