The deputies believe that in recent years the Turkish government has been increasingly distancing itself from the values and standards of the European Union. Politicians are concerned about the state of the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights in Turkey.
“If Turkey does not change this negative trend, the commission should recommend formally suspending [Turkey’s EU accession] talks,” the statement reads.
The report points to the lack of independence of the judiciary and the “continued hyper-centralization of presidential power.”
MEPs call on the Turkish authorities to release all imprisoned human rights activists, journalists, lawyers, scientists and others who have been detained on unfounded charges.
MEPs are concerned about Turkey’s foreign policy towards Greece and Cyprus, as well as “presence in Syria, Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh.” They asked to recognize the Armenian genocide.
“The MPs recognize the ongoing diplomatic efforts of the EU to establish a genuine and effective dialogue with this country,” the officials said.
One of the speakers, MP Nacho Sanchez Amor, called the document “the toughest” in relation to Turkey. However, in his opinion, it reflects reality.
“The report reflects everything that, unfortunately, has happened in the country over the past two years, in particular in the field of human rights and the rule of law, which remain the main concern of the European Parliament, as well as in Turkey’s relations with the EU and its members. We hope that Turkey will finally change course and translate the recent expressions of goodwill into concrete actions,” the MP said.
480 deputies voted for the report of the European Parliament. 64 voted against and 150 abstained.
Context:
On May 4, 2016, the European Commission submitted to the European Parliament and the EU Council a legislative proposal on the introduction of a visa-free regime with Turkey. To do this, Ankara had to fulfill a number of requirements by the end of July. Among them are the fight against corruption, data protection, judicial cooperation with all states, the development of cooperation with Europol and the revision of anti-terrorism legislation. Erdogan refused to change the anti-terrorist legislation for the sake of a visa-free regime with the EU.
On May 11, 2017, the European Parliament suspended work on a visa-free regime for Turkey. On April 26, 2017, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey would not wait forever at the “gates of Europe” and might abandon EU accession negotiations.
The most recent dispute between the European Union and Turkey was over drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean. The EU accused Turkey of violating international law and hinted at sanctions. Despite this, the Turkish research vessel Oruç Reis continued to explore the oil shelf.
Erdogan urged NATO countries not to interfere in events in the Eastern Mediterranean. According to him, Ankara will get everything that is due to it, and attempts to stop it will be erroneous.
The European Council imposed additional sanctions on Turkey on December 11 over drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Ankara considered the position of some EU countries towards Turkey biased. The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the sanctions pose a threat to peace and stability in the region. The Turkish ministry believes that most of the EU countries voted for these sanctions out of solidarity.
Source: RYB News
