President Tayyip Erdogan told he will reconsider the position on joining the European Union if Turkey was kept waiting much longer and if the current attitude, described by him as a ‘hostile mentality’ of some member states persists.
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) , a leading human rights body, to put Turkey on a watch list was “entirely political” and Ankara did not recognize the move, Erdigan said.
Erdogan also indicated he is ready to take the question of EU accession to a referendum, because Turkey could not wait ‘indefinitely’ after 54 years at the door.
“In Europe, things have become very serious in terms of the extent of Islamophobia. The EU is closing its doors on Turkey and Turkey is not closing its doors on anybody,” Erdogan said in an interview at the presidential palace in Ankara.
