Turkey may part ways with EU if necessary: Erdogan

When asked about the details of a European Parliament report on Turkey on Saturday, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ankara may “part ways” with the EU if necessary. The report, which was agreed earlier this week, stated that the current situation prevents Turkey from resuming its accession process with the 27-member bloc and urged the EU to look into “a parallel and realistic framework” for its relations with Ankara. Turkish membership in the EU has been an official candidate for 24 years, but recent stagnation in the admission process is due to EU worries about abuses of human rights and respect for the rule of law. “The EU is trying to break away from Turkey,” Erdogan told reporters ahead of a trip to the United States. “We will make our evaluations against these developments and if necessary, we can part ways with the EU.” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry stated earlier this week that the European Parliament report took “a shallow and non-visionary” approach to the country’s relations with the EU and contained baseless claims and prejudices. (With agency inputs)