FM Çavuşoğlu says EU demand to change law is support for terrorism
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has reiterated that Ankara will not change Turkey's counter-terrorism legislation, charging that EU pressure on the issue constitutes "support for terrorism."
Speaking on Monday at a dinner with Turkish businessmen in Vienna following a meeting regarding Libya, Çavuşoğlu said Turkey would not yield to pressure from the EU to change its legislation on terrorism in return for visa-free travel in the Schengen zone.
"Telling us to change our anti-terror law while we are fighting against both the PKK and DAESH amounts to support for terrorism. We will never give into such impositions," said Çavuşoğlu.
On May 4, the European Commission proposed visa-free Schengen zone travel for Turks as part of a deal which would see Turkey stem the refugee flow to Europe, in exchange for speeding up Turkey's EU membership process.
Among the five remaining benchmarks for Turkey to address in order to receive visa-free travel, the EU called for changes to Ankara's legislation on terrorism – a demand which was criticized and rejected by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Last Wednesday, European Parliament halted the visa liberalization process for Turkish citizens in the Schengen zone, citing Turkey's failure to fulfill the necessary criteria.
Çavuşoğlu also criticized what he described as EU double standards, saying some EU countries became members even though they had failed to meet requirements. "You [the EU] have given visa-free travel to candidate countries without even starting the negotiation phase. Is it not right for Turkish citizens to enjoy this too? We are talking about visa-free travel, not full membership."
Saying that the EU could not become a global power and solve its economic problems without Turkey, Çavuşoğlu called for good sense to guide the discussions around visa-free travel. "We will discuss the visa issue with the EU in a sensible manner. We need to make a road map. Everybody will keep their promises."
Speaking on Monday at a dinner with Turkish businessmen in Vienna following a meeting regarding Libya, Çavuşoğlu said Turkey would not yield to pressure from the EU to change its legislation on terrorism in return for visa-free travel in the Schengen zone.
"Telling us to change our anti-terror law while we are fighting against both the PKK and DAESH amounts to support for terrorism. We will never give into such impositions," said Çavuşoğlu.
On May 4, the European Commission proposed visa-free Schengen zone travel for Turks as part of a deal which would see Turkey stem the refugee flow to Europe, in exchange for speeding up Turkey's EU membership process.
Among the five remaining benchmarks for Turkey to address in order to receive visa-free travel, the EU called for changes to Ankara's legislation on terrorism – a demand which was criticized and rejected by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Last Wednesday, European Parliament halted the visa liberalization process for Turkish citizens in the Schengen zone, citing Turkey's failure to fulfill the necessary criteria.
Çavuşoğlu also criticized what he described as EU double standards, saying some EU countries became members even though they had failed to meet requirements. "You [the EU] have given visa-free travel to candidate countries without even starting the negotiation phase. Is it not right for Turkish citizens to enjoy this too? We are talking about visa-free travel, not full membership."
Saying that the EU could not become a global power and solve its economic problems without Turkey, Çavuşoğlu called for good sense to guide the discussions around visa-free travel. "We will discuss the visa issue with the EU in a sensible manner. We need to make a road map. Everybody will keep their promises."