Erdogan: EU calls for resumption of accession talks
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for the resumption of negotiations on Turkey's accession to the European Union.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today called on the European Union to resume accession talks with Ankara on the eve of a Brussels summit dedicated to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"We expect the EU to quickly open the chapters of the accession negotiations and start negotiations on the customs union, without giving in to cynical calculations," Erdogan said after meeting in Ankara with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.
The Turkish president's remarks came at a time when the war in Ukraine is allowing Ankara to return to the international stage through its mediation initiative.
Negotiations for a possible Turkish accession to the EU began in 2005 but have stalled in recent years due to tensions between Brussels and Ankara on several fronts. At the end of 2020, the European Commission estimated that Turkey's chances of joining were "at a standstill" due to decisions taken by the Turkish leadership which were contrary to EU values. "Turkey continued to distance itself from the EU, recording "A serious decline in the areas of the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights," the commission said in a statement.
Turkey, an ally of Ukraine and a member of NATO, has been trying to mediate between Moscow and Kiev since the beginning of the crisis. But it has refused to impose Western sanctions on Russia.
