International

Turkey’s President Erdogan attacks EU, backs death penalty

Published

7 years ago

July 16, 2017

Turkey's President Erdogan attacks EU, backs death penalty

Hard stance Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come down hard on the European Union saying Turkey will have to survive without the body while also backing the death penalty should his parliament pass it into law.

Erdogan made the comments at the opening ceremony of the anniversary to mark the death of 250 people who died in last year’s failed coup.

In his remarks to wrap up activities for the anniversary which included a marathon session of public appearances, Erdogan also accused Brussels of “messing about” with Turkey’s decades-long bid to join the bloc.

“The stance of the European Union is clear to see … 54 years have passed and they are still messing us about,” he said, citing what he said was Brussels’ failure to keep promises on everything from a visa deal to aid for Syrian migrants.

“We will sort things out for ourselves. There’s no other option.”

Recall that ties between Turkey and the West were strained when European governments voiced alarm at the scale of the crackdown that followed the coup with some 150,000 people have been sacked or suspended from their jobs and more than 50,000 detained on suspicion of links with the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the failed coup.

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