Erdogan: EU membership not a priority for Türkiye

Joining the European Union is not a priority for Ankara, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in an interview with Qatari television channel Al Jazeera, published on Saturday.

According to Erdoğan, the EU is not prepared to accept Türkiye, and Europe will ultimately be the side that loses out as a result, CE Report quotes STA.

His comments come amid Türkiye’s long-running but increasingly complicated relationship with the European Union. Ankara formally applied for EU membership in 1987, while accession negotiations began in 2005. However, the process has largely stalled in recent years amid disagreements over political reforms, the rule of law, migration, Cyprus and other issues.

Erdoğan has repeatedly criticized what he describes as the EU’s reluctance to advance Türkiye’s membership process, while stressing the country’s strategic importance to Europe.

Türkiye remains closely connected to the European economy and has maintained a customs union with the EU since 1995. The country also plays an important role in areas including migration, energy, trade and regional security.

In his latest remarks, Erdoğan suggested that Türkiye does not see EU membership as essential to its future, while warning that Europe could ultimately lose from failing to build stronger relations with Ankara.

The Turkish president’s comments underline Ankara’s increasingly pragmatic approach to its relationship with the EU, with cooperation in areas of mutual interest continuing despite the long-standing deadlock over full membership.

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