Turkey must stop its violation of human rights
Statement by Neoklis Sylikiotis, AKEL MEP and GUE/NGL Vice-President
31 May 2018
“The situation in Turkey is getting worse. The dismantling of the rule of law, the violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the persecution of the Kurds and the silencing of journalists reflect the prevailing inhuman conditions. Mr. Erdogan, on the pretext of the attempted coup d’état, through state terrorism, is illegally imprisoning and torturing thousands of people. At the same time, Turkey continues to violate international law, illegally occupying with the force of arms an EU member state and, through pirate aggressive actions, is challenging the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus in the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone.” This is what AKEL MEP and GUE/NGL Vice-President N. Sylikiotis stressed before the plenary session of the European Parliament in the presence of EU Commissioner for Regional Policy, Johannes Han.
- Sylikiotis p that no allocation of funds to Turkey from the Pre-Accession Instrument can be justified since pre-accession assistance is given to EU countries to implement reforms in order to harmonize them with the European acquis. It is unacceptable, he added, to be asked to grant any financial support to Turkey when, not only does it not work to fulfill its contractual obligations as a candidate country for EU membership, but is brutally violating the principles and values proclaimed by the Union.
