UPDATES WITH REMARKS FROM EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF
By Sibel Ugurlu
ANKARA (AA) – Making statements excluding Turkey in the EU accession process or denying its candidacy is of “no use “, Turkey's foreign minister said on Thursday.
Turkey expects full EU membership and it “shouldn't be faced with political obstacles, ” Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a joint news conference with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and EU Neighborhood Policy Minister Johannes Hahn in the capital Ankara.
According to Cavusoglu, each political obstacle set by the bloc against Turkey prevents the growth, prosperity and political stability of the EU.
The minister emphasized that the March 18, 2016 refugee deal must be fully implemented, adding that the EU should also carry out some of its obligations as part of the deal.
He said Turkey fulfilled 72 criteria and had six remaining to be able to travel to Schengen countries visa-free. “We will fulfil the remaining criteria soon. ”
Turkey and the EU signed a refugee deal in March 2016, which aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of nearly three million Syrian refugees in Turkey.
The March 18 deal also allowed for the acceleration of Turkey’s EU membership bid and visa-free travel for Turkish nationals within the Schengen area.
In a joint statement dated Nov. 29, 2015, the EU and Turkey had confirmed their commitment to re-energize the accession process.
Turkey applied for membership in the European Economic Community — a precursor to the EU — in 1987. It became eligible for EU membership in 1997 and accession talks began in 2005.
However, almost a year later, on Nov. 24, the European Parliament approved a non-binding motion to freeze EU-membership talks with Turkey, in response to post-coup investigations and recent developments in the country including measures taken within the framework of the fight against the PKK and FETO terrorist groups.
Mentioning the terrorist attacks both in Turkey and in the EU countries in recent years, Cavusoglu said close cooperation against foreign terrorist fighters and elements feeding terrorism in the region would be for the benefit of both the EU and Turkey.
“We expect more concrete support from the EU member states in our counterterrorism efforts, ” Turkish FM said.
“The latest decision by the European Court of Justice on the PKK is important.
“The PKK is a terrorist organization and should continue to be on the list of terrorists, ” Cavusoglu said, warning that the PKK's presence and allowing its symbols in the EU institutions and EU member states “is not something we can accept “.
Turkey welcomes the measures taken against the PKK in some European countries especially in Germany and England, said Cavusoglu. “However, these are insufficient. ”
Last week, the European Court of Justice ruled to keep the PKK on EU's terror list.
The PKK applied to the court in May 2014 in order to be relieved of the restrictions placed upon it due to the terror attacks it had carried out.
It has been on the EU terror list since 2002.
Speaking alongside Cavusoglu, Mogherini described the meeting as “positive, constructive, fruitful, honest and open. ”
“Turkey is a candidate country and is also a key strategic partner for the European Union. European Union-Turkey relations are extremely important not only for European Union and Turkey but also very important for our region or foreign global policy at large, ” Mogherini said.
The EU's top diplomat commended Turkey and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for their key role in negotiating and implementing the Sochi memorandum on Idlib, a northwestern Syrian province.
“This memorandum and its implementation are key to help avoiding a huge humanitarian crisis and also a political perspective for the solution of the crisis, ” she said.
Mogherini said the EU had a great respect and willingness to continue to support Turkey's “unprecedented efforts ” in hosting and addressing the needs of more than four million refugees in Turkey.
The EU welcomes Turkey's decision to work to intensify relations with the union, Mogherini added.
“The European Union wants a strong Turkey and wants a strong cooperation with Turkey. This is our objective and this is what we are together working at. We want Turkey to be stable, prosperous and democratic, ” she said.
On the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Mogherini said the EU expects that accountability was ensured.
“Those who are really responsible for this terrible murder have to be taken accountable, ” she said, adding: “In the EU, accountability does not mean revenge. ”
