European Union should not freeze accession talks with Turkey, Germany says

Neither side expects Turkey to be in a position to join the European Union for many years to come. What step is being taken?

Erdogan’s threat drew a reaction from the German foreign ministry, which said the European Union and Turkey have a common interest to stick to the deal that has reduced the influx of migrants into the bloc.

Under the EU-Turkey deal, undocumented refugees will be repatriated back to Turkey and EU countries will resettle others from Turkish refugee camps in a “one in, one out” system. International Women & Justice Summit held by the Women and Democracy Association (KADEM) in Istanbul, Erdoğan said: “You did not keep your word”.

Unable to agree on the best way to manage more than a million migrants who entered Europe previous year, mostly through Turkey, EU nations chose to outsource their refugee crisis.

The EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, on Tuesday said that if EU membership talks with Turkey fold, both sides will lose out.

But even if Europe does not break off talks as a result of the parliamentary decision, a collapse could be imminent anyway.

“I guess those who offer a safe haven for terrorists fleeing Turkey are also prepared for a couple of million refugees”, he said last week, repeating his view that Europe sides with terrorist organisations.

Also Syed Kamall, leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group criticized the EU’s approach to Turkish membership, saying that for too long Brussels has “dishonestly dangled” the prospect of Turkey joining the EU in front of the nation and now time is high for a more honest relationship.

“It is hard for the migration agreement to continue under these circumstances”, he said. “If refugees go through, they will flood into Europe and take it over, and Turkey prevents this”, Yildirim said in an interview with state broadcaster TRT Haber.

Austria has led calls to stop the membership talks.

“Such a resolution. only serves the objectives of the far right, Islamophobia and xenophobia”, he told a news conference.

Before the Balkan migration route was closed in March hundreds of thousands of migrants passed through Croatia and Slovenia towards wealthier western Europe. Once again, Erdogan’s seemingly unshakeable stance says as much about the weakness of a divided Europe as it does about his own strongman ambitions.

“We believe one-upmanship and controversies are counterproductive”, French foreign affairs ministry spokesman Alexandre Giorgini said at a news briefing.