Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that Turkey’s accession to the European Union is no longer a priority for the country. However, the Ankara administration does not definitively close the “door” to accession.
The statement was made during an interview given for Al Jazeera. In Erdogan’s opinion, the European Union would be at a loss if it continues to reject Turkey, reports Agerpres.
Turkey has been a candidate for EU membership since 1999. Accession negotiations were opened in 2005, but have been frozen due to Turkey’s continuous regression in terms of democracy, rule of law, and fundamental rights.
Recently, the leadership of Turkey has been particularly criticized for its actions against the opposition, especially after the imprisonment of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s rival, the former mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem Imamoglu.