Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

EU-Turkey Relations Undergo Tension | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55361714
Caption:

Parliament member of Pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and HDP spokesman Ayhan Bilgen (C) speaks on November 6, 2016 during a press conference in Diyarbakir.
The pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) on November 6, 2016 said it was halting all its activities in the Turkish parliament after nine of its MPs, including the two co-leaders, were arrested. / AFP PHOTO / ILYAS AKENGIN


Ankara- Turkey condemned Luxemburg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn on Monday after he compared the Turkish government to Nazi Germany.

Turkish EU Minister Ömer Çelik said om response to Luxembourg FM statement that “There is a lack of knowledge of history in this. The measures taken in Turkey do not look like the Nazis’ moves; on the contrary, they look like the measures taken in the fight against the Nazis after the Nazi period ended.”

Çelik added, “Nazis were like apprentices in comparison to members of the Gülenist movement, accused of standing behind the failed coup.”

Since the failed coup mid of July, Turkish administration arrested and dismissed more than 110,000 public employees including judges, militants, teachers and journalists. The critics of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said that that this is a campaign to suppress all forms of opposition.

The names of dismissed employees were published in the gazette which means that they will face a difficulty finding new jobs—their passports were even canceled.

Asselborn suggested imposing economic sanctions on Turkey since it is the last option to put an end to the unbearable human rights condition there.

Çelik said in a news conference that this is a critical phase in regards to the relations between Turkey and EU.

“It’s a wrong policy to stand against Turkey all the time,” he added. The minister also criticized those who called on the EU to suspend accession talks with Turkey, describing these groups as “racists” who are not friends of the EU.

From his part, Erdogan said that the EU and the West did not announce a supportive stance towards Turkey after the failed coup and he accused them of lacking humanity in dealing with millions of people displaced by the war in Syria, while Turkey welcomed them.