Ankara Not Accountable to EU, Says Erdogan

Turkey is not willing to account to the European Union for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Samarkand. This was stated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an interview with PBS.

“The EU will keep us at bay for 52 years, will not allow us to approach, and then will ask, ‘Why did you meet with this country, why did you meet with another?’,” the Turkish leader said. He emphasized that Turkey is not accountable to the EU.

“I negotiate with all countries because we are all part of this world,” Erdogan added. He recalled his negotiations with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, China’s President Xi Jinping, and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.