Turkey blasts EU over crackdown criticism

AFP, ANKARA: Turkey protested to EU envoys and branded relations with Brussels as “fragile” on Monday over the bloc’s criticism of its crackdown in the wake of the July 15 coup.
In recent days, the European Union has strongly criticised Turkey, a candidate for accession, over the arrests of nine MPs from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), including its two co-leaders.
“We made clear our alarm over the positions taken by the EU,” Turkish EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik said in televised comments after calling in all EU member state ambassadors for an unusual meeting at his ministry.
“We are in a very fragile period in EU-Turkey relations... Constant opposition to Turkey is not a correct policy,” he added.
Celik also hit out at “racist” voices within the EU that have called for the country’s accession process to be halted due to the clampdown—Turkey has been seeking to join the EU since the 1960s.

 

Turkey blasts EU over crackdown criticism

AFP, ANKARA: Turkey protested to EU envoys and branded relations with Brussels as fragile on Monday over the blocs criticism of its crackdown in the wake of the July 15 coup. In recent days, the European Union has strongly criticised Turkey, a candidate for accession, over the arrests of nine MPs from the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), including its two co-leaders. We made clear our alarm over the positions taken by the EU, Turkish EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik said in televised comments after calling in all EU member state ambassadors for an unusual meeting at his ministry. We are in a very fragile period in EU-Turkey relations... Constant opposition to Turkey is not a correct policy, he added. Celik also hit out at racist voices within the EU that have called for the countrys accession process to be halted due to the clampdownTurkey has been seeking to join the EU since the 1960s.