Turkey: Main opposition leader slams EU decision

By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - The leader of Turkey's main opposition party slammed the European Council’s decision to suspend high-level talks with Ankara.

"We have rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, we will defend these rights to the end," Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Republican People's Party (CHP) chief, told his party's parliamentary group on Tuesday.

Kilicdaroglu noted that they would never accept "possible sanctions imposed by the EU."

"As long as the EU does not abandon its application of double standards to Turkey, it has no value on this territory," he stressed.

He also criticized the EU's "insincerity" towards Turkey.

The European Council published a final declaration Monday following a meeting of the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council attended by foreign ministers of member states.

The council said in the statement that in light of Turkey’s "continued and new illegal drilling activities," it would suspend civil aviation negotiations and "agree not to hold the Association Council and further meetings of the EU-Turkey high-level dialogues for the time being".