May part ways with EU, says Turkey’s Erdogan

Istanbul, September 16

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey might part ways with the European Union, implying that the country is thinking about ending its bid to join the 27-nation bloc.

“The EU is making efforts to sever ties with Turkey,” he told reporters before departing for the 78th UN General Assembly in New York. “We will evaluate the situation, and if needed we will part ways with the EU,” he said.

Erdogan was responding to a question about a recent report adopted by the European Parliament, which stated “the accession process cannot resume under the current circumstances, and calls on EU to explore a parallel and realistic framework’ for EU-Turkey relations”.

Turkey applied to join the European Union in 1999. — AP