EU: EU-Turkey relations reach historic lows

MEPs recognized Turkey’s foreign policy as hostile and called on Turkey to prove its commitment to a sincere and closer relationship with the EU.

Yesterday, Thursday, April 22, the Foreign Affairs Committee of the European Parliament adopted a report approved by the majority. 49 parliamentarians voted “for”, 14 were undecided and abstained, and four were against.

The resolution notes that relations between the European Union and Turkey have reached a historic minimum due to the hostile policy of the latter, its statements against the EU as a whole and with respect to individual member states. Turkey is especially hostile towards Greece and Cyprus. Attention is drawn to the fact that recently Turkey, which is a candidate for EU membership, has moved away from European standards and values.

According to the Athens News Agency, the report emphasizes that if Turkey does not change its rhetoric and does not actually confirm its desire for closer relations in the EU, if its negative trend does not reverse, then the European Commission will be forced to recommend a formal suspension of the negotiations on its accession to the European Union.

In addition, the deputies express concern about the repressions in Turkey – there are mass arrests and imprisonment of human rights defenders, journalists, political opponents in the country.

The resolution pays tribute to Turkey’s important role in migration processes. The country has received about 4 million refugees, including 3.6 million from Syria. Unfortunately, the pandemic has exacerbated existing problems in this direction, and the EU must continue to support both refugees and the Turkish communities that host them.

After voting on the report as a whole at the plenary session of the European Parliament, it will become an official document expressing the position of the parliament on relations between the European Union and Turkey.

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