A Process Will Begin That Will Also Slip: Erdoğan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that discussions regarding Ukraine and Moldova's membership in the European Union will be postponed indefinitely, similar to the situation with Ankara. His remarks were quoted by Reuters.

“Granting candidate status to them (Ukraine and Moldova) does not mean they will become EU members. A process will begin that will also slip. Neither of those countries is Turkey,” Erdoğan stated.

The Turkish leader deemed it incorrect that Ankara, which has long been ready for European integration, has been “waiting at the door for years due to political obstacles.” He asserted that Turkey's “strategic and economic” potential has long entitled it to join the alliance.

Meanwhile, the head of the European Council announced that European leaders have decided to start negotiations on Ukraine and Moldova's EU membership.

Turkey has been associated with the EU since 1963 and has been a candidate since 1987. In 2005, the two sides officially started negotiations regarding Ankara's status, but the process has been interrupted several times due to disagreements. In 2016, the negotiation process resumed, particularly due to Turkey's assistance in helping Europe address the migration crisis by containing the flow of refugees within its borders. However, Ankara has not been able to conclude membership negotiations over the past seven years. A key obstacle in this journey remains the Cyprus issue.