Turkey president says SCO could be an option for Turkey

Turkey is not constrained to joining the European Union (EU), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) could also be an option, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

On his way back from official visit to Pakistan and Uzbekistan, Erdogan told reporters that Turkey should feel relaxed about the EU bid and should not forget that there are alternatives to the bloc, local Daily Sabah reported.

Erdogan said he had already discussed the idea with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The SCO, established in 2001 by China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, conducts multilateral cooperation between the member states on national security, military, economy and culture. In 2013, Turkey became a dialogue partner at the SCO.

"Being a member of the SCO will allow Turkey to act more freely (in its EU bid)," he said.

Erdogan once again warned the EU to decide by the year end on its membership bid and the deal for visa-free travel for Turks, vowing to otherwise call a referendum on this matter.

Turkey formally applied for an EU member in 1987 and accession talks in 2005, even though Ankara's aspirations to become part of the bloc dates back to the 1960s.

Relations between Turkey and the EU have been strained since the July 15 coup attempt. Ankara says it has not received enough support from its EU allies, while Brussels criticized the Turkish government's crackdown on alleged coup plotters, urging Ankara to comply with the EU's rights and freedoms criteria. Endit