Verhofstadt: “Accession talks with Turkey should be suspended now.”

Press release ALDE/Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe – 07/11 

ALDE Group-leader Guy Verhofstadt calls on the European Commission to suspend accession talks with Turkey until the nine MPs from the People Democratic Party (HDP) and the staff of the opposition Cumhuriyet newspaper are released and proposals to re-introduce the death penalty are withdrawn.

Verhofstadt: “Turkey has become an autocratic state since the failed coup attempt.

The European Commission should make it crystal clear that Turkey is on the wrong path. All accession talks should be suspended until persecuted members of parliament and journalists are released. Erdogan should also withdraw his idea to re-introduce the death penalty.”

Verhofstadt also urged the Commission and Council not to give in to Erdogan’s pressure to suspend the refugee deal if Turkey would not get visa-free travelling in the EU.

“It is obvious that the European Union cannot accept visa free travelling for Turkish citizens under the current circumstances. Instead of submitting to Erdogan’s blackmail, we should put our own house in order. We need a functioning European asylum and visa regime, not a shady deal with an autocratic leader.”