Page 6 - bneIntellinewsTurkeyToday20170428.pdf

Political
Turkish foreign minister to attend April 28 EU ministers meeting in Malta
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will attend an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers on April 28 in Malta amid tensions between Ankara and the bloc following the controversial referendum in Turkey to establish an executive presidential system.
Earlier this week EU lawmakers called for a review of relations with Ankara while some MEPs even proposed suspending accession talks with Turkey.
Cavusoglu will attend the summit in Malta at the invitation of EU’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign minister of Malta, which currently holds the EU presidency, Turkey’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee on May 2 will debate an annual progress report on Turkey. The draft resolution calls for the suspension of membership talks with Turkey.
The draft also says that the European Parliament supports the Commission’s proposal to start negotiations on the upgrading of the Customs Union, but “calls on the Commission to include political benchmarks on human rights and fundamental freedoms in the upgraded Customs Union.”
The EU absorbs more than 40% of Turkey's exports while two-thirds of foreign direct investment in Turkey comes from EU member states.
Earlier this week, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) decided to place Turkey back on a human rights watchlist after 13 years, prompting a strong reaction from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“The decision is entirely political. We don’t recognise it”, said Erdogan on April 25. He added that “Turkey will not wait at Europe's door for ever and is ready to walk away from EU accession talks if rising Islamophobia and hostility from some member states persist.”
The EU must reflect on what future ties it wants with Turkey, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on April 27, Reuters reported.
Merkel also urged the Turkish authorities to answer questions raised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) over the April 16 referendum, according to the news service.
“The Turkish government must measure itself based on this report and answer the questions raised in it. We will very carefully follow how Turkey deals with reports of possible irregularities,” Merkel said.
The Ankara government rejects allegations of irregularities in the popular vote.
Merkel also, reportedly, suggested that the referendum has weighed on Turkey's relationship with the
European Union and Germany.
However, later on April 27, the German chancellor told a broadcaster that it is important to maintain dialogue
with Ankara, according to Reuters.
“The time has come to talk very intensively about the relationship between the European Union and Turkey,
but we must do that first among the 28 European Union members,” she said. On April 29, EU leaders are expected to discuss ties with Turkey.
Erdogan is expected to attend a Nato meeting next month in Brussels where he will hold talks with top EU officials on the sidelines.
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