European Parliament election results alarm Ankara

ANKARA

French far-right National Front (FN) party president Marine Le Pen (C), leader of the far-right Austrian Freedom Party (FPOe) Harald Vilimsky (L) and leader of the Dutch far-right 'Partij voor de Vrijheid' (PVV) party Geert Wilders (R) give a press conference gathering EU far right party leaders on May 28, 2014 at the EU Parliament in Brussels. AFP Photo

Ankara has voiced concern over the rise of xenophobic, anti-immigration, Euroskeptic and extremist parties, noting that Turkey has long been worried about increasing support for such policies across the continent.

Preemptive policies should be designed through correct interpretations of the election results by EU institutions, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a written statement released late May 28, while particularly noting “reactionary” votes in EU countries that are still suffering from economic crises.

“It is important for the new EU leadership that will emerge in the post-election period to make the EU an influential and prestigious player again in the political and economic fields ... This is indispensable for the future of both the European project and Turkey-EU relations,” the ministry added.

In the European parliamentary poll held on May 25, Euroskeptic parties made big gains across the continent, while anti-establishment parties also gained support.

The Foreign Ministry expressed pleasure that Turkish-origin parliamentarians in a number of countries were among those elected to the European Parliament in the latest elections. It said that such figures both contributed to politics in the EU-member countries where they live and serve as a “bridge of friendship” between Turkey and the countries where they are citizens.