The conclusions of the European Council's extraordinary summit on Turkey are yet another example of the absence of a strategic vision on the part of the EU in relation to Turkey and international developments, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
It is contradictory, the statement continues, that the Council did not take any decision on the recommendations of the joint communication on EU-Turkey relations drawn up by High Representative Borrell and the European Commission, although the Council's conclusions emphasize that the The EU has a strategic interest in developing a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with Turkey.
As stated, "Turkey will never accept an approach that links progress in Turkey-EU relations to the Cyprus issue. It is necessary to abandon the perception that reduces these multifaceted relations to the Cyprus issue. Such a mindset cannot contribute positively and constructively to the problem, nor to other regional and global issues."
Turkey, concludes the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as a candidate country, remains committed to joining the EU. "However, we reject the selective limitation of bilateral cooperation in certain sectors. In the coming period, we will review our dialogue with the EU on the basis of reciprocity, taking into account the pace, level and scope of the EU's steps towards Turkey," it noted.
