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Erdogan says Turkey continues to seek EU membership

Xinhua,March 26, 2018 Adjust font size:

ISTANBUL, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday reaffirmed his country's goal of becoming a full member of the European Union, saying Ankara remains committed to the accession process.

"Becoming a reliable member of the European Union continues to be Turkey's strategic goal," the president told reporters in Istanbul prior to his departure for Bulgaria's Varna for a summit with EU leaders.

Erdogan said that Turkey would ask EU leaders to lift all political and artificial obstacles to its membership and revive the accession talks.

Hours before Erdogan's departure, Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz reportedly called for suspension of Turkey's membership negotiations, citing "systematic violation of human rights and basic democratic values" in Turkey.

Turkey-EU relations have been strained over the years by what the bloc calls extensive crackdown by Ankara under a state of emergency imposed after a failed coup in 2016. Turkey's ties with some EU countries were hurt as well.

"We will remind EU leaders that Turkey does not have any tolerance of double standards in its relations with the bloc," said Erdogan.

Ankara wants Brussels to be more constructive in handling bilateral issues including talks over visa liberalization for Turks and funding of over 3.5 million Syrian refugees being sheltered by Ankara.

The EU is set to grant Ankara a second tranche of three billion euros under a deal seeking to curb the flow of migrants to Europe via Turkey. Erdogan said, however, that the union has not yet totally paid the first amount of the fund as promised under the deal signed in March 2016.

The Turkish president is also expected to discuss the latest developments in Turkey's operation against Kurdish militia in Syria's Afrin region with EU leaders, another source of friction between the two sides.

The Turkish military on Saturday announced "full control" of the Afrin region after starting the offensive on Jan. 20, and Erdogan has threatened to move on eastward against other towns in northern Syria. Enditem

 

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