After the “standstill” of the talks
Erdogan wants to negotiate EU membership again
03/23/2022, 03:16 am
Due to a failed coup and the persecution of members of the opposition, the EU accession negotiations with Turkey will come to a standstill in 2020. Ankara senses a new opportunity through its mediating role in the Ukraine war – and calls on the EU to resume talks.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on the EU to resume “accession negotiations”. “We expect the EU to open the chapters for the accession negotiations and start negotiations on a customs union without engaging in cynical calculations,” said Erdogan after a meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Ankara. Turkey’s chances of having a greater say on the international stage have increased thanks to Ankara’s mediation efforts in the Ukraine war.
In recent years, there have been heated arguments between the EU and Ankara over the accession issue. Accession talks began in 2005. In 2020, however, the EU Commission concluded that they had “stalled”. Objections to the policies of the government in Ankara arose in particular after the failed coup in 2016 and the subsequent repression, as well as the persecution of opposition figures and journalists.
The EU heads of state and government are meeting in Brussels this Wednesday for a two-day summit to discuss the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. A special NATO summit will also take place in Brussels on Thursday.
Erdogan met the representatives of four EU countries and NATO within nine days. Ankara has been trying to mediate between Moscow and Kyiv since the beginning of the war. The NATO member has not joined Western sanctions against Russia.