Far-right ideology becoming norm in Europe, Turkey's EU Minister warns
u00d6mer u00c7elik speaks during a joint press conference with British minister of state for Europe and Americas, after their meeting in Ankara on August 17, 2017 (AFP Photo)


EU Minister Ömer Çelik warned about the ideology of far-right parties becoming a norm in Europe, as he criticized the destructive stance adopted by European Union regarding its relations with Turkey.

Speaking at a live broadcast for NTV channel Monday, Çelik said that political parties in Europe are disregarding the values the European Union was founded upon.

"Eighty-five percent of the pledges made by the far-right in Europe has become a part of center-political parties," Çelik said.

He noted that some of the statements coming from Germany are unacceptable, and that he finds German Chancellor Angela Merkel's remarks about not renewing the EU-Turkey Customs Union deal rather "strange."

"The Customs Union should have been crowned with our EU membership" Çelik said.

The minister also noted that Turkey should not be treated like a "guest" but should rather be treated as a "host" as it is a founding member of many international organizations, including the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).