No decisive references were included in the European Parliament's report on Turkey, DIKO and Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats MEP Costas Mavridis tells CNA.
On the internal situation in Turkey, Mavridis notes that the report documents that "it is a brutal regime with deprivation of political and individual freedoms, where democracy has been virtually destroyed." On Turkey's foreign relations, he says thati]significant evidence of Turkish aggression against Cyprus and Greece is recorded, and calls for the withdrawal of any threat of war and respect for international law.
On the Cyprus issue, the MEP says that at his initiative a reference to the withdrawal of Turkish occupation troops was adopted, while other key references were not included in the text, such as a ban on the sale of arms by member states to Turkey and the imposition of sanctions.
On EU-Turkey trade relations, Mavridis says the report "encourages the upgrading of the Customs Union Agreement by fulfilling existing obligations, which Turkey has refused to fulfil since 2005 towards Cyprus and therefore the Agreement should be revoked." The European Commission has not denounced Turkey, although, according to Mavridis, he raised the issue in writing and orally during the recent debate in plenary.
Finally, he says that the report includes a laudatory reference to Turkey's management of migratory flows. For these reasons, Mr Mavridis explains that he abstained from the vote.
Source: CNA
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