Calamos Supports Greece
GreekReporter.comGreek NewsCyprusTurkey Says EU becoming 'Christian Club'

Turkey Says EU becoming ‘Christian Club’

Turkey’s deputy prime minister said on Saturday that the European Union was becoming an inward-looking “Christian club”, slamming a lack of progress in his country’s bid to join the bloc.
Speaking on a panel at the World Economic Forum in Davos that included EU President Herman Van Rompuy, Ali Babacan (phto) said: “We always thought the EU is a big peace project… but then the enlargement process literally stalled.
“Open door policy is no longer there,” he added.
“And one of the big themes about why Turkey cannot become a member of the European Union is because it is a Christian club. This is in our view very, very dangerous.”
Ankara began accession negotiations with the EU in 2005, but the process has stalled amid opposition from some member states, lack of reform in Turkey and a trade row over the divided island of Cyprus.
Several chapters remain frozen due to Turkey’s refusal to open its ports to Cyprus, an EU member which Ankara does not recognise owing to the island’s division between its Greek and Turkish communities.
People in the region are looking closely at the EU to see whether it will open its doors to Turkey, said Babacan, also economy minister.
“Everyone is looking at what is going on. And what kind of Europe, what kind of European Union we are going to be seeing in the future is going to be of immense importance in terms of what kind of message our region gets.”
(source: afp)

See all the latest news from Greece and the world at Greekreporter.com. Contact our newsroom to report an update or send your story, photos and videos. Follow GR on Google News and subscribe here to our daily email!



Related Posts