Erdogan criticises EU countries over Turkey’s bid

ANKARA, Turkey

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday (June 22nd) criticised unspecified EU member states for using Turkey’s membership bid for domestic politics, media reported. Speaking at a luncheon for the EU ambassadors to Ankara, Erdogan said it is “absolutely wrong” to exploit Turkey’s accession process.

He assured his country remains committed to pro-EU reforms, but warned “certain attitudes” in the EU may lead to a “serious erosion in public enthusiasm and public consensus”. Turkey launched EU membership talks in October 2005, but has so far opened only ten of the 35 negotiation chapters, mainly due to the Cyprus issue and opposition from EU members France and Germany.