EU officials raise human rights concerns with Turkish president
EU chiefs raised concerns about Turkey’s human rights record during a nearly threehour meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara yesterday as the two sides considered forging closer ties.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she was “deeply worried” about Turkey’s decision to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, a treaty designed to prevent violence against women.
“This is about protecting women and protecting children against violence and this is clearly the wrong signal right now,” Ms von der Leyen said.
She said “we certainly did not convince, but we urged Turkey to reverse its decision” during a meeting that was also attended by European Council President Charles Michel.
She said it was crucial that Turkey respected the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights, which said that jailed Turkish politician Selahattin Demirtas and philanthropist Osman Kavala should be released immediately.
“Human rights issues are non-negotiable. They have an absolute priority, without any question. We were very clear on that,” Ms von der Leyen said.
Mr Michel said respect for fundamental rights was a core value of the EU and that they “shared with President Erdogan our deep worries on the latest developments with Turkey in this respect”.
Tensions between the bloc and Ankara increased last year over issues such as Turkey’s maritime border dispute with EU members Greece and Cyprus.
But relations have improved and Mr Michel and Ms von der Leyen welcomed the withdrawal of Turkish vessels from contested waters in the Eastern Mediterranean and a return to negotiations with Greece.
The EU chiefs said the bloc could strengthen ties with Turkey if the situation continued to improve.
They said they discussed several forms of co-operation with Turkey, including a closer trading partnership.
Ankara wants the EU to provide greater support for millions of Syrian refugees living in Turkey and for visa rules to be eased for Turkish travellers.
“This is the beginning of a process. We’re at the beginning of a road together,” Ms von der Leyen said.