President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who championed a revival of accession talks with the European Union this summer, expressed his disappointment over a report assessing Türkiye’s bid.
"The EU is trying to break away from Türkiye," Erdoğan told reporters on Saturday ahead of a trip to the United States. "We will make our evaluations against these developments and if necessary, we can part ways with the EU."
He was responding to a question about the European Parliament’s latest report voted in Strasbourg last Wednesday. The report was not much different than its earlier versions published in recent years and accused Türkiye of human rights violations. It said Türkiye’s accession process cannot resume under current circumstances and called for the EU to explore a parallel and realistic framework for its ties with Ankara. It dampened the brightened mood between Türkiye and the bloc following Erdoğan’s reelection in May. Erdoğan’s call to the EU for the revival of the process was welcomed by EU officials and the bloc’s top official in charge of enlargement recently paid a visit to Türkiye where he met Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry criticized the report for being full of unfair accusations and prejudices based on disinformation from anti-Türkiye circles. In a statement released on Thursday, the ministry said the report shows biased perspectives regarding the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus issues and does not align with historical or legal truths. The ministry noted that the European Parliament (EP) members have become enslaved by populist policies and are far from developing a correct strategic approach for Europe. It also pointed out that the regional tension is a reflection of the EU body’s lack of vision and shallowness amid the ongoing opportunities to revive Türkiye-EU relations. The statement continued by saying that the EP report disregards the fact that Türkiye has the potential to make the bloc a global power in the face of ongoing challenges, including security, energy, climate change, migration and economic problems. The ministry statement continued by saying that Türkiye hopes the new European Parliament, after the elections, will act in a neutral, rational and constructive way.
Under the leadership of President Erdoğan, Türkiye took significant steps to fulfill the criteria for membership of the 27-member bloc while Ankara heightened bilateral relations with EU states. Yet, continuing tolerance of the EU for terrorist groups threatening Türkiye led to a deterioration of ties. Differing views on other issues further eroded trust between the two sides although Türkiye and the EU remained major trade partners.
Erdoğan, a skillful diplomat, is known for his blunt remarks in response to any accusatory rhetoric toward Türkiye. Regardless, he continually advocates maintaining good ties with every country and the bloc as evidenced by his incessant efforts to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine as the only leader able to maintain good relations with both countries. The EU has not commented yet on Erdoğan’s remarks, but Türkiye bears significance for the continent in the fight against illegal migration and for mediating in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Indeed, Türkiye, along with Hungary, has the final say on the NATO membership of Sweden as Europe seeks to counter what it views as the Russian threat to the continent under the shadow of the conflict.
