ANKARA — Turkey is "fed up" with the condescending attitude of the European Union in talks over its application to join the bloc, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.
The blunt comments reflected growing Turkish exasperation with EU criticism over human rights, and frustration with the fact that, 11 years after starting negotiations, Ankara's prospects of gaining membership look more remote than ever.
As visiting German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier looked on, Cavusoglu told a news conference that the Turkish people would decide whether or not to reinstate the death penalty, a decision that could spell the end of Turkey's accession bid.
Relations with Brussels have been especially strained since a failed Turkish coup in July. European leaders worry that Ankara is using the attempted putsch as a pretext to crack down on dissent. Turkey, meanwhile, has been angered by what it sees as a lack of solidarity.
"We are truly fed up of these statements degrading Turkey. The criteria are clear but there are double standards and a two-faced approach. This is what we don't like," Cavusoglu said.
Steinmeier said he had expressed concern about mass arrests and the treatment of the media since the failed coup, but also said Germany supported its NATO partner in fighting terrorism.
"I reported the worries that we have about the numerous arrests, mass arrests, and freedom of opinion and freedom of the press," he told reporters.
More than 110,000 people have been sacked or suspended in the crackdown that followed the putsch, and some 36,000 arrested. Media outlets have also been shut down.
Bitter rhetoric from Turkey has increased since the release of a highly critical EU report last week that made clear its prospects of joining the 28-nation grouping have become ever more distant.
Turkey's minister for EU affairs dismissed the report as "far from constructive", while President Tayyip Erdogan urged the EU to take a final decision on Turkey's application.
Steinmeier said he was against the EU breaking off accession talks with Turkey, a crucial partner for the bloc in stemming the influx of migrants from the Middle East.
Separately, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a meeting of his ruling AK Party that the European Union should decide between Turkey or its enemies, adding that Brussels should not expect Ankara to change its anti-terror laws. — Reuters
