Former EU official: EU lost diplomatic leverage over Turkey

The former European Commissioner for Enlargement Günter Verheugen said on Thursday that unfulfilled promises of the EU to Turkey created disappointment and anger in Ankara toward the bloc in the past. He called on both sides "to contribute for a fresh start."

"If Turkey will be not accepted as an equal member of the EU, then accession talks will come to nothing. The truth is, the EU has been losing its diplomatic leverage on the developments in Turkey step-by-step since 2006," he said in an interview with Doğan News Agency.

He also responded to a question about a recent row between Turkey and the Netherlands over the deportation of the Turkish family minister from the country by saying that there are no concrete reasons for such bans. "This process showed us that far-right and anti-Islam populists can influence countries' politics without being in government," he said.