Erdogan urged the European Union to get rid of blindness and accept Turkey

According to RIA Novosti from Ankara, Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan called on the EU to get rid of blindness and accept Turkey, without which it will not be able to become a center of attraction and power.

“We want to finally come to the result of our many years of striving for the EU. It is impossible for the EU to become a center of gravity and power without Turkey’s presence in it. We want the EU to get rid of the blindness it has fallen into as soon as possible,” Erdogan said. speaking at the summit of the countries of southeastern Europe in Antalya. The broadcast was conducted on Twitter by the Turkish leader.

Turkey in 1963 signed an association agreement with the EU (at that time – the EEC), and in 1987 applied for membership in the union. However, accession negotiations began only in 2005, and were repeatedly suspended due to disagreements. 16 out of 35 chapters of the negotiation dossier are now open.

Turkey beyond Erdogan: How the EU risks letting down Turkish democrats

„The Turkish president no longer commands all before him. The EU should turn its attention to supporting democratic forces in the country.“ Kati Piri

This commentary is part of an ECFR discussion on a positive agenda for the EU and Turkey. The discussion includes previous commentaries by Ibrahim Kalin and Miguel Berger.

Kati Piri is a member of the Dutch Parliament.

After being held at arm’s length for several years, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is to meet with Western leaders once again. Last week he saw US president Joe Biden, as well as several NATO and EU leaders. Next week, the European Council will decide whether to deliver on the European Union’s past promise of a “positive agenda” with Turkey – and maybe even upgrade trade relations between the two.

Early last year, Erdogan began openly encouraging hundreds of thousands of migrants to cross the border into Greece, where people got stuck in no man’s land at the border. Last summer, a military confrontation between Turkey and EU member states appeared to become a serious threat, caused by disputes over Turkey’s exploratory gas drillings in waters claimed by Greece and Cyprus. Meanwhile, Turkey’s supposed EU accession process has made no difference to its growing abuse of democracy and fundamental rights.