Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on the European Union to manage its relations with Turkey in a fair manner and to avoid policies that lead relations to a dead end.
This came in a message published by the Turkish President on Thursday as a congratulatory message on the occasion of “Europe Day,” which falls on May 9 of each year, according to a statement by the Presidency’s Communications Department.
Erdogan stressed the importance of the European Union managing its relations with Turkey within the framework of the principle of fulfilling the covenant and with a fair approach that focuses on results, and avoiding policies and rhetoric that lead relations to a dead end.
He said: “Turkey will not stop using and developing its strategic capabilities and capabilities in the face of exclusionary policies towards our country, which also negatively affect the European Union’s transformation into a global power.”
Erdogan reiterated his emphasis that Turkey is ready to cooperate in order to create a European scene that is more prosperous, more solidarity, and more open and gives it the status it deserves in the future.
On the other hand, Erdogan pointed out that the rise of anti-Islam and xenophobia across the continent is one of the biggest sources of concern for Turkish citizens and immigrants living in Europe.
-Advertisement-
He stated that discrimination and hate crimes against the Turkish community in Europe were becoming a normal matter day after day.
Erdogan stressed that the policies followed by some European institutions and countries regarding the Gaza crisis led to the destabilization of confidence in European values.
He explained that skepticism about these values will increase further as long as crises, conflicts and wars in Europe and the common region continue without a solution.
He continued: “In the current geopolitical circumstances, it has become more important than ever for the future of our continent for the European Union to follow comprehensive policies that prioritize cooperation and are fair in the broad European region and the Mediterranean basin.”
The Turkish President stressed that the time has come for Turkey and the European Union to develop cooperation in all fields, at this critical juncture in which the expansion policy is gaining momentum, including the accession negotiations that form the basis of their relations and put them on more solid ground.
“Europe Day” is an occasion to commemorate the announcement by the late French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman in 1950 of the formation of the “European Coal and Steel Community,” which formed the first nucleus of the European Union.