Domestic
Erdogan: Turkey's EU membership is no longer a priority
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan states that his country’s EU membership is no longer a priority, but notes that a door remains open.
According to statements from Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, his country’s EU membership is no longer a priority. In an interview with Al Jazeera, he emphasized that Ankara has not completely ruled out the possibility of accession, but the European Union does not currently represent a priority for Turkey.
The accession negotiations between Turkey and the EU have been frozen for some time. Reasons for this include documented backsliding in democracy over recent years. However, Erdogan remarked that the EU would be seen as the loser in its relationship with Turkey if it continues to reject the country.
Thus, the open aspects of Turkey’s accession and the EU’s stance towards the country will continue to be discussed, even though Erdogan considers renegotiation to be non-prioritized.