Turkey’s EU bid sparks disagreements

Turkey’s EU bid sparks disagreements

On Friday, Slovak Foreign and European Affairs Minister Miroslav Lajčák stated that Slovakia had endorsed Turkey's ambitions to join the EU. "We remember very well how Turkey helped our integration into NATO, and now we're ready to put to good use our experience and influence towards Turkey's meeting its goal to become an EU member," said Lajčák after meeting his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu and describing Slovak-Turkish relations as excellent and free from any unresolved issues. Turning to relations between Turkey and the EU, the Slovak Foreign Minister admitted that the accession process is largely blocked. With that in mind, both politicians discussed ways to restore trust between the two sides and to relaunch the negotiation process. "That said, EU membership isn't based on merits; rather, it's conditional on meeting stringent criteria," said Lajčák, adding that any country that wants to join the EU and meets the criteria should be given the opportunity to become a member. Cavusoglu also acknowledged Slovakia's support and Lajčák's involvement, noting that Turkey would welcome constructive criticism from Slovakia.

However, Lajčák was criticized for his statements. "The whole of Europe is observing that the changes currently underway in Turkey are at odds with democratic principles. Leading EU politicians are also pointing out that Turkey at the moment doesn't meet the conditions necessary for being accepted into the Union," said Jaroslav Paška, vice-chairman of the parliamentary foreign affairs committee, serving for the co-governing Slovak National Party. He also added that these issues needed to be addressed at meetings with Turkish officials."

Christian Democrat/European People's Party MEP Ivan Štefanec believes that Lajčák did not have the right to make such a statement on Slovakia's behalf, without consulting it in advance with Parliament or at least the European Affairs committee. As he stressed, following the measures put into place after the failed coup in Turkey last summer "the EP adopted a resolution last November calling on the suspension of accession negotiations if Ankara failed to put a stop to the reprisals," said Štefanec. He also added that since then, journalists, teachers, judges and democratic figures in general have been persecuted even more intensively in Turkey.

Mojmir Prochazka, Photo: TASR

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