(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Turkey’s relationship with theEuropean Unionis important but it is not the “only option” for Ankara, Ömer Çelik, Turkey’s new minister for EU affairs, said on May 25.
Çelik, who has replaced Volkan Bozkr in the new cabinet named by Prime Minister Binali Yldrm, also told reporters that Turkey wants the EU to drop its “double standards” in the fight against terrorism.
He was speaking at a ceremony where he took over the post from Bozkr. Turkey-EU ties have been tense over the bloc’s demand thatAnkarafulfill all 72 agreed criteria in order to lift visa obligations for Turkish citizens, as part of the deal on Turkey readmitting refugees to Europe.
PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdoanon May 24 warned the EU that the Turkish Parliament would block laws related to the landmark deal to stem the flow of migrants toEuropeifAnkarawas not granted its key demand of visa-free travel.
“If that [visa exemption] does not happen ... then no decision and no law in the framework of the readmission agreement will come out of the parliament of the Turkish Republic,” Erdoan said at the close of the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul.
Turkey is not “bluffing” or uttering “threats” when it says it could suspend all agreements signed with the EU, including the readmission agreement, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuolu said on the same day, adding that the EU needs to be “fair” to Turkey.
Disagreements emerged on Turkey’s counter-terrorism law, which Brussels wants to see brought in line with EU standards.