Flash statement from Erdoğan on the European Union: We may part ways if necessary
Speaking at the airport before his visit to the US, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, "The European Union is making efforts to break away from Turkey. We will make our assessments during this period when the EU is taking steps to break away from Turkey."
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President and AKP Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a press conference at Atatürk Airport before his departure for the US.
The highlights of Erdoğan's statements are as follows:
"Shortly, we will set off for New York to participate in the 78th United Nations General Assembly meetings. More than 150 countries are expected to attend the General Assembly meetings, where all UN member states are represented. As in every year, we will have an extremely busy schedule of contacts and meetings in the US this year as well.
"I WILL ADDRESS THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY"
On the first day of the General Assembly meetings, Tuesday, September 19, I will address the General Assembly. On this occasion, we will share our views on the fundamental issues on the international agenda. We will emphasize the critical role Turkey plays in the face of current global challenges.
We are pleased that our thesis that 'the world is bigger than 5' is gaining more acceptance. In the last 3 months alone, there has been an increase of 22 billion dollars in our reserves. The total gross reserves of the Central Bank have exceeded 120 billion dollars. The statement made by the World Bank last week is another example of the confidence placed in our country. The diplomatic moves Turkey is carrying out to establish peace and stability in its region are also met with appreciation.
"WE ARE FOCUSING ON OUR WORK"
As we have for the last 21 years, we are only focusing on our work. We will continue to work with the same sensitivity from now on. We have conveyed our proposal for a trilateral meeting under our leadership to them. We made a proposal for a quadrilateral meeting. We proposed a meeting between Putin, Aliyev, myself, and Pashinyan.
It is not possible for us to say yes or no while walking down the road before our parliament makes a decision. First of all, Sweden needs to fulfill its duty. When promises are not kept, I cannot predict the attitude of the Parliament.
"WE MAY PART WAYS WITH THE EU"
The European Union is making efforts to break away from Turkey. We will make our assessments during this period when the EU is taking steps to break away from Turkey. After these assessments, we may part ways with the EU if necessary."
According to the 2022 report on Turkey prepared by the European Parliament (EP), it was stated that Turkey's EU accession process could not be restarted "under current circumstances," and it was recommended to initiate a process aimed at finding a more "realistic" framework instead of EU membership.