EU votes to suspend Turkey accession talks
MEPs' decision based on 'false claims and allegations', says Turkish foreign ministry
The European Parliament has voted for the suspension of Turkey's accession talks to the EU, arguing that the country does not meet the democratic criteria to join the bloc.
The motion passed by a wide margin, with support from the EU's largest party groups, German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports.
Turkey's EU affairs minister said Ankara regarded today's vote as invalid, Reuters reports, while foreign ministry spokesman Huseyin Muftugolu said it was based on "false claims and allegations".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Putting forward the vote, Kati Piri, the European Parliament's rapporteur on Turkey, recommended Ankara's relationship with the EU "should be redefined as a series of agreements based on mutual interests such as trade, migration and security" rather than full membership, says The Australian.
She said: "We are not calling to stop all dialogue or cooperation; talking about integration is just not realistic at this moment.
"The Turks are showing that they are not interested in membership, but the EU is also showing it is not committed to Turkey."
The European Commission and EU member states have previously rejected calls to formally suspend talks as Turkey's accession process is already effectively "in limbo".
European Commission and constituent EU leaders have criticised the authoritarian rule of Recep Tayyip Erdogan following his crackdown against political opponents after the failed coup in July 2016.
Erdogan's powers were further expanded in April, when a controversial referendum gave him the option of reinstating the death penalty - a practice the EU outlaws.
However, the bloc does not want to undermine the 2016 agreement in which Turkey stopped Middle East migrants crossing into Greece, easing the crisis that had crippled parts of EU infrastructure and "threatened EU unity", Reuters says.
Meanwhile, a report from the Stockholm Center for Freedom claims Turkey's failed coup was staged by the government in order to justify a clampdown against political dissenters.
It says the uprising was "a false flag" orchestrated "Erdogan and his henchmen to create a pretext for a mass persecution of critics and opponents in a state of perpetual emergency".
The organisation added it was "fairly confident that this attempt did not even qualify a coup bid in any sense".
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Caroline Quentin shares her favourite books
The Week Recommends The actor shares works by Patrick Hamilton, Liz Knight and Elizabeth Taylor
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: December 20, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sudoku medium: December 20, 2024
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published