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Reuters
Turkey and the European Union
The Turkish foreign minister angrily rejected calls by the European Union to withdraw forces from his country from northeastern Syria, accusing the bloc of double standards and trying to teach Ankara human rights and international law.
In a tense press conference after the talks in Ankara, Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde repeated calls by the European Union for Turkey to withdraw the forces it sent to northeast Syria a year ago to hunt down the fighters. Kurds whom Ankara considers terrorists.
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“The strong position of the European Union remains the same … they continue to urge Turkey to withdraw,” Lind said, standing next to his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu.
He added that the European Union also expects constructive steps towards democracy and human rights in Turkey.
Lind also criticized Ankara’s decision to resume exploration operations in the eastern Mediterranean, where Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, members of the European Union, are in dispute over sovereignty over territorial waters.
For his part, Mevlüt Çavuşolu clearly expressed his anger and led the press conference in an unexpected direction.
He said: “You are trying to teach a lesson in human rights and international law by behaving arrogantly and using the word urgency.”
He noted that the European Union does not urge Turkey to withdraw from northwestern Syria because “another three million refugees will come to Turkey and then to European countries.”
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Then he asked: “Why doesn’t Sweden defend the rights of Turkish Cypriots?”
In response, Lind said that she, as a “guest”, would not be involved in a conflict, adding: “I hope everyone in Turkey has the opportunity to express their views as openly as you, Minister … Thank you.”
Then Cavusoglu turned to her and said: “In Turkey, everyone can express their opinions, but we don’t have these double standards.”
Source: Reuters
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