Istanbul, Turkey – President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hinted on Saturday that Turkey is contemplating the possibility of ending its long-standing pursuit of European Union (EU) membership. Speaking to reporters before his departure for the 78th U.N. General Assembly in New York, Erdogan expressed concerns about the EU’s efforts to distance itself from Turkey.
Erdogan’s statement was in response to a recent report adopted by the European Parliament, which argued that the accession process could not resume under the current circumstances and called for exploring “a parallel and realistic framework” for EU-Turkey relations. Turkey officially applied for EU membership in 1999, initiating accession talks in 2005. However, these negotiations were suspended in 2018 due to concerns of “democratic backsliding,” according to the European Parliament.
Erdogan’s remarks come in the wake of Turkey’s foreign minister reaffirming the country’s commitment to joining the EU and urging the bloc to take bold steps to advance their accession bid.
