Erdogan: Turkey may hold EU accession referendum

[Little Tich]

Source: Al Jazeera

President says Turkey may hold a public vote on whether to continue to pursue European Union membership.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Turkey may hold a referendum on whether to carry on with negotiations about joining the European Union.

Turkey, which applied for EU membership in 1987, began accession talks in 2005. Yet, negotiations have moved very slowly due to disagreements over Cyprus, human rights and other issues.

Speaking on Saturday at a Turkish-Anglo conference in southern Antalya province, Erdogan said Ankara would likely review its ties with the bloc after a nationwide vote next month on sweeping constitutional changes.

Read more: http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/03/erdogan-turkey-hold-referendum-eu-accession-bid-170325204550677.html

[Chevy]

1. Leaving NATO will be next N/T

[msongs]

2. then an alliance with syria...and russia

[Chevy]

3. Dictators like the same company N/T

[DetlefK]

4. He's backtracking on the EU because he realized that they won't put up with his bullshit.

There are 35 chapters of legal and regulatory changes Turkey would have to make to become an EU-member.
Out of those 35, 2 are empty because they are for miscellaneous things.
Out of the remaining 33, the conditions of 1 have been fulfilled: regulations on scientific exchange.

12 years of work and Turkey has met 1 out of 33 conditions for EU-accession.

Why is that???

Because Erdogan doesn't want to give up the Turkey that is. He doesn't want better protections for minorities, the media... because he needs those laws for his dream of re-establishing Turkey as a middle-eastern super-power.
You can't do that if you are forced to make peace with the Kurds.
You can't do that if critics can say whatever they want.



Erdogan wants the economic and political power that comes from being an EU-member, but he doesn't want to sacrifice anything for that.
Put in romantic terms: Erdogan has wanted this relationship for years, but now he's angrily backing out because the EU keeps insisting that he changes if he wants to be together with her.

[OnDoutside]

5. As an EU citizen, I don't want Turkey to be admitted until they have a functioning

democracy. It would be a serious mistake to allow them in, as they are currently constituted led by a two bit Putin, their disgraceful treatment of the Kurds, and with an appalling human rights record.

[Yupster]

6. Turkey has made its choice

It's leaving the west and moving toward an Islamic Republic.

The Christian % in Turkey which was 20 % 100 years ago is now 2/10 of one percent. I expect the final break with the west to be when the Hagia Sofia is turned back into a Mosque which is currently under debate.

[OnDoutside]

7. You may well be right,though I suspected they twisted the EU arm to stem the flow of Syrian refugees

in return for something. Perhaps it was just money so.