EU: Turkey-EU Ties Might be Established on Economic Cooperation in Future

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European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who oversees EU membership bids, has said that Turkey is moving away from a European perspective, and the future ties might be established on an economic cooperation.

In an interview to Reuters following the meeting of EU member countries’ ministers of foreign affairs, Hahn said that "Everybody's clear that, currently at least, Turkey is moving away from a European perspective."

“The focus of our relationship has to be something else. We have to see what could be done in the future, to see if we can restart some kind of cooperation”.

“There is no version of Turkish democracy”

Hahn emphasized that the EU rules “were not negotiable” and the EU would not “decouple the human rights situation" from discussions.

Hahn stated that limits on with press freedoms, mass jailing and shrinking civil rights made it almost impossible at the present time for Turkey to meet EU joining criteria.

"There is no version of Turkish democracy. There is only democracy. Turkish people have the same rights to live in freedom as Europeans do”. (YY/TK)