(Istanbul) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey may withdraw from the European Union, suggesting that his country plans to end its bid to join the 27-nation bloc.
He told reporters before leaving for 78, “The European Union is making efforts to sever relations with Turkey.”H United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Turkish President said: “We will assess the situation and, if necessary, we will separate from the European Union.”
Erdogan was responding to a question related to the recent report adopted by the European Parliament, which stated that “the accession process cannot be resumed under the current circumstances,” and called on the European Union to explore a “parallel and realistic framework” for its relations. With Türkiye.
Turkey applied to join the European Union in 1999, and began accession negotiations in 2005. Accession negotiations were frozen in 2018 due to “democratic backsliding,” according to the European Parliament.
President Erdogan’s statement came on Saturday, more than a week after the Turkish Foreign Minister confirmed his country’s intention to join the European Union. The latter even urged the bloc of 27 member states to take courageous measures to advance her candidacy.
