Intervention by AKEL MEP Giorgos Georgiou, in his capacity as the Shadow Rapporteur for the Progress Report on Turkey on behalf of the Group of the Left in the European Parliament, in the debate on Turkey’s Progress Report for 2019-2020
18th May 2021, European Parliament, Brussels
The June European Council will determine a lot, mainly the EU’s credibility and stature
“We are here to discuss once again Turkey’s annual progress report…
A euphemistically labeled Progress Report – given that in most important areas Turkey is moving backwards…
We have heard, yet again, that Turkey must prove its goals towards the EU with tangible and consistent actions…
We have learnt the poem out by heart…
Of course, Turkey has learned it better, as it provocatively continues its own policy and practices without taking any notice…
Turkey does so because it knows that Europe’s stand towards it is guided by the economic and geopolitical interests of certain powerful states that appease it and offer it a positive agenda.
But what positive agenda can we talk about when Turkey is violating the fundamental rights and freedoms of its citizens, when it does not meet the Copenhagen criteria, when it is provoking and intimidating its neighbors and threatening EU member states?
A concrete example is Turkey’s stand a few weeks ago in Geneva on the Cyprus problem, where it ruled out the Union’s participation, and in line with the Turkish Cypriot leader insisted on a two state solution and the partition of Cyprus, effectively leading the informal five-party meeting to an impasse. Turkey, in the most provocative way, also through in the dustbin, the for decades agreed basis for the solution of the Cyprus problem, that is, Bi-Zonal, Bicommunal Federation with a single sovereignty, a single citizenship and a single international personality with political equality.
Sanctions are not an end in themselves, but the EU’s rewards to Turkey also have, at some point, an expiration date…
We call on Turkey, once again, to at long last change course.
But, we also call on the EU to hold Turkey to account, explaining that the normalization of EU-Turkey relations presupposes the abandonment, in practice, of intransigent approaches.
The developing upgrading of the customs union cannot proceed without the prior respect and full and non-discriminatory implementation of the existing agreement.
The European Council in June will determine a lot of things, primarily the credibility and stature of the EU itself.”
