Türkiye rejects 'biased, unrealistic' report by European Parliament

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye on Tuesday rejected "biased and unrealistic assessments" from the European Parliament with a "shallow and visionless approach" in its 2021 report on the country.

Releasing a statement after the legislative body's General Assembly approved the report earlier in the day, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Ankara does not accept the report which ignores the need to strengthen relations between Türkiye and the EU through mutual efforts.

Türkiye primarily expects the European Parliament not to become a tool for "narrow-minded circles," as well as to have an encouraging attitude towards EU institutions for the revival of the accession talks, it added.

However, it has so far taken the "opposite stance," the statement asserted, adding that this attitude is "not surprising" from the European Parliament, which tolerates members of terrorist groups making terrorist propaganda.

The EU parliament had lost its credibility in the eyes of the Turkish public, the ministry said and stressed that the "baseless views" in the report reflecting claims on democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in Türkiye and the "narrow-minded" efforts of some EU members relating to the Aegean, Eastern Mediterranean, and Cyprus issues were "of no use to us."

Türkiye expects the EU and all EU institutions to fulfill their obligations towards Ankara, revitalize the accession process, accelerate dialogue on visa liberalization, start talks to update the Customs Union, increase cooperation in the fight against terrorism, and, especially, implement the 2016 voluntary humanitarian admission scheme within the scope of migration cooperation, it said.

The statement said that instead of encouraging steps to be taken on these issues, the report constitutes a new example of the European Parliament's detached, ideological, and biased attitude and only damages its reputation.