Turkey slams European motion to halt EU accession talks
EU Minister Celik dismisses European Parliament motion as 'null and void'
By Ayse Humeyra Atilgan
ISTANBUL (AA) - Turkey slammed a European Parliament motion on Thursday which urged the EU to halt accession talks with Ankara.
Turkey's Minister for EU Affairs Omer Celik described the motion as "null and void".
Speaking at a news conference in southern Adana province, Celik said the motion was not "something to be taken seriously".
Adopted Thursday by 479 votes to 37, with 107 abstentions, the motion called on "the Commission and on the Member States to initiate a temporary freeze of the ongoing accession negotiations with Turkey".
"We would respect the motion if it was constructive despite being critical [of Turkey]. However, this motion is politically inconsistent," Celik said.
Pointing out that it was a non-binding and non-legislative motion, the minister said:
"They adopted it for political purposes. Those who want to give us a message should know that the parliament's message would not get through the Kapikule Border Gate [a crossing point between Turkey and the West]."
In the motion MEPs strongly condemned the alleged "disproportionate repressive measures" taken by the Turkish government since the July 15 failed coup attempt. These "violate basic rights and freedoms protected by the Turkish Constitution", they claimed.
The text also said Turkey used “non-proportional security measures” during the country’s state of emergency, extended for another 90 days in October.
Celik also denied those claims and said: "The measures taken in the aftermath of the July 15 coup night are not unlawful."
The minister called on "prudent” figures in the West to save the EU from the “vicious cycle it has been in".
"There is no crisis between Turkey and EU, but it is a crisis of political inconsistency within the EU."
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