Erdogan asks the EU to relaunch accession negotiations

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called on the European Union (EU) to relaunch “accession negotiations” with Turkey, ahead of a European summit in Brussels devoted to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

“We expect the EU to quickly open the chapters of the accession negotiations and to start negotiations on the customs union without giving in to cynical calculations,” Erdogan said after a meeting in Ankara with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

The Turkish president's statements come when the war in Ukraine makes it easier for the Turkish government to return to the international stage for its mediation efforts.

Negotiations on Turkey's eventual accession to the EU, which began in 2005, stalled in recent years because of tensions with the EU on many fronts.

The European Commission considered at the end of 2020 that Turkey's chances of accession were “at a standstill” because of decisions contrary to the interests of the EU made by its leaders.

“Turkey continued to move away from the European Union, with a serious setback in the areas of the rule of law and fundamental rights,” the Commission deplored in a report.

EU-Turkey relations were strained after the failed coup attempt in July 2016 and the subsequent repression, which affected opponents and journalists.

EU heads of state and government meet in Brussels on Wednesday for a two-day summit devoted to managing the consequences of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

There will also be a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday.

An ally of Ukraine and a member of NATO, Turkey has been striving since the beginning of the crisis in Ukraine to facilitate mediation between Russia and the Ukrainian government, but refused to align itself with Western sanctions against Russia.

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