Erdogan: EU cannot become global power without Turkey

A European Union that does not afloat see Turkey cannot make into a planetary halfway of power, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said connected Tuesday.

The Turkish person besides argued that Greece and Cyprus are the superior obstacles to Ankara’s way toward EU membership.

Speaking aft a furniture meeting, Erdogan said the accession process has slowed owed to governmental bias alternatively than technical criteria, adding that disputes related to Cyprus person go a large obstruction to Turkey’s European ambitions.

“The disagreements arising from the Cyprus contented person been the crushed for obstructing our way to the EU,” helium said. “The contented is not where Ankara is located, but where Brussels wants to presumption itself successful the aboriginal planetary order.”

He warned that the EU indispensable take betwixt recognizing Turkey’s strategic value oregon risking weakening itself done exclusionary policies.

Drawing a examination with Greece, Erdogan noted that Athens applied for EU rank successful 1975 and joined conscionable six years later, successful 1981, while Turkey has been kept retired “for purely governmental reasons.”

He besides referred to the EU’s 2004 enlargement, when Cyprus joined the bloc, describing the determination arsenic portion of a bid of “wrong and unfair choices.”

Despite his criticism, Erdogan stressed that Ankara has accepted these developments and continued its European people with patience, including the motorboat of accession negotiations successful 2005.

He maintained that Turkey has fulfilled its obligations under the dialog framework, while accusing European institutions of longstanding prejudice.

According to Erdogan, factors such arsenic Turkey’s democracy, economy, colonisation size, and religion person astatine times been used to warrant delays successful the accession process.

He further argued that Turkey’s geopolitical relation has strengthened importantly successful caller years, describing the state arsenic an “island of stability” amid determination crises.

Erdogan has insisted that Ankara considers a two-state λύση the astir realistic enactment for Cyprus.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded pursuing a coup backed by Greece. Only Turkey recognizes the Turkish Cypriot declaration of independency successful the island’s bluish third, where it maintains much than 35,000 troops.