Europa: Erdogan: EU-Beitritt der Türkei ist keine Priorität
Die Beitrittsverhandlungen zwischen der Türkei und der EU liegen auf Eis. Grund sind Rückschritte bei der Demokratie. Für Erdogan hat das Thema ohnehin keinen Vorrang. Er lässt aber eine Tür offen.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has indicated that the EU membership bid for his country is no longer a top priority, stating in an interview with Al Jazeera. While Ankara has not ruled out Turkey's entry into the European Union, Erdogan emphasized that the EU does not hold a high priority for Turkey. He believes the EU stands to lose if it continues to reject Turkey.
Turkey has been a candidate for EU membership since 1999, and negotiations were opened in 2005, but they have been stalled due to ongoing shortcomings in democracy, rule of law, and fundamental rights. The latest criticism against Turkish leadership has been primarily due to the crackdown on the opposition, especially the ongoing massive trial against Erdogan's rival and former Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, who faces charges of corruption, money laundering, and forming a criminal association.
The trial against Imamoglu continues under intense scrutiny today at the Istanbul Silivri courthouse, with his accusers labeling the proceedings as politically motivated and accusing Erdogan of using the judiciary to eliminate his most visible rival. The Turkish government denies any influence on the judiciary.
Written by urgent.news from Handelsblatt's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
