Ankara accuses the European Parliament of a "shallow and unforesighted approach",[/B] citing "biased and unrealistic assessments" of the damning report on Turkey's accession path, which was overwhelmingly voted through today.
"Our primary expectation from the European Parliament is that it should not become a tool in the agenda of narrow-minded circles and show an encouraging attitude towards the EU institutions in order to revive the accession negotiation process. Unfortunately, the European Parliament has so far taken a contrary stance," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It accused the European Parliament of "tolerating even members of 'terrorist organisations' to nest in the EP and carry out terrorist propaganda", saying that "it has lost its credibility".
"Therefore, the baseless views in the report on democracy, rule of law and human rights regarding our country and the narrow-minded efforts of one or two EU members on the Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Cyprus problem are useless," he notes.
The report is harshly critical of both Ankara's performance on human rights and the rule of law, but also of Turkish provocativeness towards Greece and Cyprus. In particular, MEPs deplore recent statements by Turkish officials questioning Greek sovereignty over certain islands.
Through 54 individual points of criticism and observations, the report points out that Ankara's accession course continues to slide, with democracy, the rule of law and fundamental rights receding.
Continued regression
The European Parliament has announced that without clear and significant progress on reforms it cannot consider reopening accession negotiations. MEPs point out that despite Turkey's repeated statements on the objective of EU accession, the last two years have seen continued backsliding on its commitments in this regard.
Parliament welcomes the recent slight improvement in EU-Turkey relations, in particular as regards high-level dialogues. Unfortunately, this enhanced cooperation coexists with regular conflicts, as relations with neighbouring EU member states remain a challenge, MEPs stress.
The report also highlights the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation in Turkey. The EP deplores the continued legal and administrative pressure exerted by the Turkish government on civil society and human rights defenders, lawyers and journalists, calling on the Commission to provide adequate support to pro-democracy efforts in Turkey.
Condemns Turkish provocation in Greece and Cyprus
MEPs point out that despite some signs of de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean in the intervening period since the last EP report on Turkey, there has recently been a new flare-up and regret recent statements by Turkish officials questioning Greece's sovereignty over some of its islands which are counterproductive and undermine the security environment in the region.
In this context, they reiterate their call for a sincere collective effort to negotiate the boundaries of the EEZ and continental shelves in the region on the basis of good faith and international norms, condemn the harassment of research vessels within the Cypriot EEZ, as well as violations of Greek national airspace, including overflights.
MEPs welcome Turkey's contribution to ensuring gas supply adequacy through the interconnection of the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) and reiterate their support for the European Council's proposal for a multilateral conference on the Eastern Mediterranean, stressing that the Green Agreement provides important opportunities for achieving cooperative, sustainable and inclusive energy solutions.
Turkey to abandon the "two-state solution" to the Cyprus problem
In addition, MEPs regret that the Cyprus problem remains unresolved and strongly reiterate that a solution in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and within the international legal framework is the only viable solution. They call on Ankara to abandon its unacceptable proposal for a "two-state solution", to withdraw its troops from Cyprus and to refrain from any unilateral actions that would consolidate the permanent division of the island, as well as from actions that would alter its demographic balance.
They also condemn the signing of the so-called economic and financial protocol between Turkey and the non-government-controlled areas of Cyprus; and its attitude regarding the continued violation of UN Security Council resolutions on the transfer of the Varosha to their legitimate inhabitants. They call on Turkey to give the Turkish Cypriot community the necessary space to act in accordance with its role as a legitimate community on the island and also on the Commission to increase its efforts to engage with this community, recalling that its place is in the EU.
On the "no" vote on Sweden and Finland's NATO membership
MEPs call on the Turkish government to treat Finland and Sweden's applications for NATO membership in good faith, to engage constructively in efforts to resolve outstanding issues in accordance with EU values and legal requirements and to refrain from exerting undue pressure in this process. In the present serious circumstances, it is important that all NATO allies act proactively and swiftly ratify the accession protocols of the two countries.
In any case, MEPs welcome Turkey's willingness to act as a mediator in the Russian war against Ukraine, and underline the vital importance of good EU-Turkey cooperation in the field of foreign and security policy in the current difficult circumstances and thank Ankara for its firm alignment with NATO and the EU.
The report praises Turkey's efforts to continue hosting the world's largest refugee population and notes the continued provision of EU funding for this purpose, which MEPs pledge to maintain in the future. They also support the Commission's proposal to open negotiations to update a mutually beneficial customs union, but warn that Parliament will only support a final agreement if the necessary democratic conditions for human rights and fundamental freedoms, respect for international law and good neighbourly relations are met.
Accession negotiations deadlocked since 2018
In summary, Parliament states that it cannot, at this stage, justify a final agreement. "By openly defying the binding judgments of the European Court of Human Rights in relation to the case of Osman Kavala and others, the current Turkish government has deliberately destroyed any expectations for the resumption of the EU accession process under the present circumstances," the Report stresses.
"In today's difficult times, it is more important than ever to recall that the values and principles that lie at the heart of any EU accession process cannot be set aside because of some extraordinary geopolitical situation. That is why Parliament, and I hope that all EU institutions will do the same, will not remain silent in the face of the country's current authoritarian vicious circle. Instead of regaining lost trust, which is an essential asset in EU-Turkey relations, we are losing more now: The irresponsible veto on NATO and growing tensions towards EU member states are worrying signs for the near future, marked by an electoral situation in the country. If there is no change, I think it will be difficult for the accession process to survive another five years," said rapporteur Nacho Sánchez Amor (Socialists, Spain),
Source: Proto Thema
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