Turkey losing patience with EU
ANKARA: President Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday Turkey would reconsider its position on joining the European Union if it was kept waiting much longer and the current hostility of some member states persisted.
Erdogan said a decision yesterday by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, a leading human rights body, to put Turkey on a watch list was ‘‘entirely political’’ and Ankara did not recognise the move.
He said he was ready to take the question of EU accession to a referendum and Turkey could not wait indefinitely after 54 years at the door.
‘‘In Europe, things have become very serious in terms of the extent of Islamophobia. The EU is clos ing its doors on Turkey and Turkey is not closing its doors on anybody,’’ he said in an interview.
‘‘If they are not acting sincerely, we have to find a way out. Why should we wait any longer? We are talking about 54 years.
‘‘The UK asked her people and they voted for Brexit . . . They have peace of mind, they are walking towards a new future, and the same thing was conducted by Norway . . . and the same thing can be applied for Turkey, too.’’ It is a critical week for TurkishEU relations. EU lawmakers will debate ties today, while the bloc’s foreign ministers will discuss the issue tomorrow, as will EU leaders at a meeting on Brexit on Saturday.
Erdogan said he would be watching closely.
Ahead of the debate, a leading member of the EU Parliament responsible for dealings with Turkey, Kate Piri, said its hopes of joining the EU would be dashed if it adopted constitutional changes backed by a referendum last week.
She told reporters that if Erdogan pushed through the changes, which enhance his own powers, the EU should suspend longstalled talks on membership.