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Politics

Politics

Turkey says the EU is ‘unjust and biased’ in its membership bid

European Union (R) and Turkish flags fly at the business and financial district of Levent in Istanbul, Turkey September 4, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo
European Union (R) and Turkish flags fly at the business and financial district of Levent in Istanbu... European Union (R) and Turkish flags fly at the business and financial district of Levent in Istanbul, Turkey September 4, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo
European Union (R) and Turkish flags fly at the business and financial district of Levent in Istanbul, Turkey September 4, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo
European Union (R) and Turkish flags fly at the business and financial district of Levent in Istanbu... European Union (R) and Turkish flags fly at the business and financial district of Levent in Istanbul, Turkey September 4, 2017. REUTERS/Osman Orsal/File Photo

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Turkey says the EU is ‘unjust and biased’ in its membership bid. Following President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s description of the Palestinian militant group behind the October 7 attack on Israel as a “liberation” movement, the European Union declared that it was in “complete disagreement” with Turkey’s attitude toward Hamas.

The European Commission chastised Turkey for “serious deficiencies” in the way its democratic institutions functioned and for the “deterioration of human and fundamental rights” in the nation’s report, which was released on Wednesday.

The acerbic language is the most recent indication of how tense ties still exist between Turkey and Europe, despite Erdoğan appointing a government many observers perceived as more pro-Western after his election win in May. The long-stalled EU membership negotiations with Ankara routinely include the commission’s evaluation of Turkey.

Several diplomatic sources in Europe and Washington have expressed alarm about Erdoğan’s growing denunciation of Israel’s actions in Gaza and his persistent criticism of the backing the Jewish state has gotten from Western friends.

“Hamas is not a terrorist organization, but a liberation group, a mujahideen group that struggles to protect its lands and citizens,” Erdoğan said to members of his political party in parliament last month. Hamas is regarded as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU.

At a recent rally in Istanbul, the Turkish president echoed such remarks, denouncing Israel as a “war criminal” for its assault on Gaza. Gazan officials estimate that since the conflict began, more than 10,000 Palestinians have died in the Hamas-run territory.

According to the commission, “[Turkey’s] rhetoric in support of terrorist group Hamas following its attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023 is completely at odds with the EU approach.” Israeli sources claim that 1,400 people were murdered in the Hamas onslaught on Israel.

“Necessary to remind the EU, which stands in the wrong place of history in the face of a civilian massacre,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in response to the commission’s report. “Policies based on universal values, international law, and humanitarian principles should be valid not only for Ukraine, but all over the world, including the Middle East.”

The commission’s evaluation of Turkey included a warning about “backsliding” in the country’s core human rights and democratic institutions. Concerns over Turkey’s “refusal to implement certain European Court of Human Rights rulings” were among them.

Last month, the legislative branch of the Council of Europe, which is in charge of the European Convention on Human Rights, criticized the philanthropist Osman Kavala after a top Turkish court affirmed his life sentence for trying to topple the government. In a prior request, the ECHR said that it could not find any “facts, information, or evidence” to support Kavala’s arrest and urged Turkey to free him.

Turkey responded forcefully, accusing the Council of Europe of making a “historical mistake” and “instrumentalizing judicial processes for politics.”

According to the commission report, although Erdoğan won the general election in May, voters still had a choice between legitimate political alternatives and high voter turnout. Still, the incumbent had an unfair advantage due to biased media coverage and an unlevel playing field.

Additionally, it stated that “the targeting of opposition parties and individual members of parliament continued to undermine political pluralism [in Turkey].”


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