Turkey warns of frustration over EU bid

State Minister for European Affairs Egemen Bagis said on Sunday (October 3rd) that the EU’s refusal to negotiate several areas required for Turkey’s EU membership is “politically motivated” and has “deepened the Turkish people’s frustration”.

“The EU cannot keep Turkey indefinitely waiting at the door of membership,” Bagis said in a statement on the fifth anniversary of the start of Ankara’s formal talks to join the bloc. “The negotiation process is interrupted by political intrigues in a way that has never been experienced by a candidate country before,” Bagis said. “This approach is neither fair nor sustainable,” he said.