The European Parliament on Thursday Nov 24,2016 voted in favour of halting membership talks with Turkey over its post-coup crackdown, in a vote that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had already branded worthless.
The non-binding motion approved byMEP's said parliament "calls ... on the Commission and on the Member States to initiate a temporary freeze of the ongoing accession negotiations with Turkey''"Turkey is an important partner of the EU," the resolution stated. "But in partnerships, the will to cooperate has to be two-sided... Turkey is not showing this political will as the government's actions are further diverting Turkey from its European path."
Although the vote carries no immediate consequences, it underscores the increasing unease in Europe over Erdogan's tightening grip on power in the wake of the coup attempt
Reacting to the vote later Thursday, Omer Celik, Turkey’s EU affairs minister, said the Turkish administration did not take the vote seriously.
"We consider that decision null and void. It is not a decision that can be taken seriously because of the vision it has and the language that pervades the text," said Celik.
Turkey PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday Nov 23,2016 that his country's "struggle for its stability and future won't be interrupted by (European legislators') raising and lowering their hands".
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