Strasbourg, France. Cypriot members of the European Parliament on Tuesday called on the European Union to treat Turkey as a threat rather than a partner during a debate on the parliament’s annual report on Turkey.
Calls for a tougher EU stance
Disy MEP Loukas Fourlas said the report’s attempt to associate Turkey with progress was contradictory, arguing that the two could not coexist.
He said Turkey continues to illegally occupy European territory in Cyprus, threaten Greece with war, and cause instability in the eastern Mediterranean. He added that, although these points are recorded in the report, the European Union is seeking ways to support Ankara instead of demanding practical compliance.
Criticism of proposed cooperation
Fourlas said the report refers to an upgraded customs union and enhanced cooperation with Turkey in the areas of security and defence, adding that this sends what he described as a wrong and dangerous message.
He said such a message suggests that occupation, threats and aggression carry no cost and are instead accompanied by European concessions. He added that the EU should send a unanimous message that Turkey, in its current form, has no place in the European family.
Support for parts of the report and concerns over Turkey’s direction
Akel MEP Giorgos Georgiou said the report contains many truths but ultimately weakens them, describing this as a familiar European Union tactic.
He praised references to a federal solution to the Cyprus problem, the return of Famagusta, missing persons, the termination of what he described as the assimilation of Turkish Cypriots by Turkey, and the resumption of negotiations aimed at solving the Cyprus problem.
Criticism of Erdogan’s presidency
Georgiou said Turkey, under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is sliding towards dictatorship.
He cited what he described as democratic backsliding, a non-existent rule of law, arrests, imprisonments, the removal of mayors, and provocations in the eastern Mediterranean.
