Türkiye could part ways with EU if necessary: Erdoğan

ISTANBUL

Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan said on Sept. 16 that Ankara could "part ways" with the European Union if necessary when asked about the contents of a European Parliament report on Türkiye. 

"The EU is trying to break away from Türkiye," Erdoğan told reporters ahead of a trip to the United States to attend the U.N. General Assembly.

"We will make our evaluations against these developments and if necessary, we can part ways with the EU," Erdoğan added. 

Türkiye has criticized the report by the European Parliament as “shallow and non-visionary,” especially at a moment when Ankara and Brussels are in efforts to revive the ties and cooperation in many fields, including upgrading the customs union agreement and visa liberalization.

“The report, as a collection of unfounded allegations and prejudices based on disinformation by anti-Türkiye circles, is a reflection of EP's well-known shallow and non-visionary approach not only towards Türkiye-EU relations but also towards the future of the EU. This report, unfortunately, demonstrates that the EP members are captives of populist daily politics, and away from developing the right strategic approach to the EU, as well as to our region,” read a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry late on Sept. 13.

The European lawmakers overwhelmingly voted in favor of the European Parliament’s 2022 Report on Türkiye which suggests that democratic backsliding is increasingly continuing and no accession talks should be held under these conditions. The report is an advisory document, therefore not binding.

“In such a critical period of time when the stability and security of our continent are at stake and a window of opportunity has been opened to revitalize Türkiye-EU relations, we find it irrational that the EP brings to the fora other pursuits parallel to the accession negotiations which are the backbone of Türkiye-EU relations,” read the statement.