Minister Çelik calls on EU to hold summit in Turkey to discuss relations

Minister of European Union Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ömer Çelik has called on EU leaders to hold a summit in Turkey to discuss the future of relations with the country, following a decision by the European Parliament (EP) to freeze negotiations with it. Speaking to the Budgetary Commission in Parliament Thursday evening, Minister Çelik said Turkey has no intentions to sever ties with the EU, saying that Turkish officials who made previous statements on the issue were merely exercising their right to reply to dissidents. The EU minister said: "We are experiencing the most fragile period in the history of our relations with the EU. Amid the rise of extreme right politics in Europe, the EP's decision [to freeze relations] is a grave mistake for mainstream politics which only satisfies the demands of extreme right movements. I define this situation as a political matryoshka; the outermost layer of which is anti-Turkish sentiment and the innermost layer of which is Europhobia. Extremist, anti-EU politicians are masquerading behind an anti-Turkish stance." Çelik said.

Stating that the elements of crisis between Turkey and the EU do not include the EP's decision, the refugee crisis or the counterterror law dispute, Minister Çelik asserted that Turkey is not a part of the crisis equation, saying that the recent EU decision is: "Merely a reflection of the crisis within Europe regarding Turkey. If [the EU] truly seeks a solution to the crisis, it must revise its vision on human rights and democracy," he said. ‘‘As long as [Europe] continues to apply its double standards regarding terrorism, which directly contradict the legal precedents set forth by the European Court of Human Rights, [Turkey] cannot provide this vision. We are open to dialogue with an EU that does not use double standards," Çelik added.

Calling the EU's antagonistic stance towards Turkey "unsustainable" for this reason, Minister Çelik emphasized the importance of establishing a new approach to the EU-Turkish accession process. The minister asserted: ‘‘If the chapters of [Turkey's] accession process are constantly deadlocked, no progress can be made and Turkish-EU relations must be repositioned at a level which reflects that. Making progress in negotiations is crucial for Turkey; we will not accept anything less than full membership in the EU."

Meanwhile, several European countries expressed that they will maintain support for Turkey's accession process despite the EP's decision. The U.K. Foreign Ministry stated on Thursday that the U.K. will continue to support countries committed to the accession process, saying: "The U.K. remains committed to driving reform, embedding [Turkish-EU relations with] stability and addressing the challenges shared by both sides, including the issues of security and migration in Turkey, according to a statement by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Likewise, the German Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the EU should not freeze Turkey's negotiations to join the bloc, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Sawsan Chebli saying,"It is important that we do not freeze accession negotiations because that would only further damage the relationship between Turkey and Europe, which is neither in the interest of Turkey nor Europe." Croatian Foreign Minister Davor Ivo Stier also said the EU should not suspend its talks with Turkey, noting: "It is not in the interest of the EU, Croatia or Slovenia to suspend talks with Turkey. ...we need [to have] a balanced standpoint towards Ankara," Stier said.