The Ministry, in its written statement, announced that the year 2022, published by the EU Commission today, Turkey It was stated that the EU’s report, which is far from its strategic point of view and visionless, once again revealed the EU’s approach towards Turkey. It was stated that this is another example of his biased attitude towards
In the statement, it was emphasized that at the first meeting of the European Political Community held on October 6 with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the importance of acting together and cooperation against common challenges was revealed, but it is regrettable that this spirit of solidarity was not reflected in the Turkey Report. We do not accept the baseless claims and unfair criticism in the political criteria and the Judiciary and Fundamental Rights chapter. ” expressions were used.
It has been noted that the sections of the report on the Eastern Mediterranean, Aegean and Cyprus, reflecting the illegal and maximalist views of the Greek-Greek duo as usual, ignoring the Turkish Cypriots in the report and not including the views of Turkey and the TRNC in any way clearly reveal whose interests the report was written. In the statement, it was reminded that the EU is not an international judicial body in determining the maritime jurisdiction areas, and it was emphasized that the EU’s act in this way is against both its own acquis and international law.
In the statement, it was stated that the criticism of Turkey in the report for not participating in the sanctions imposed by the EU within the framework of the Russia-Ukraine war, although it does not have any obligations, is a separate weirdness, and the following was noted:
“We emphasize once again that the grain export from Ukraine and the prisoner exchange between the warring parties can only be realized thanks to Turkey’s principled approach.
Considering the current geopolitical challenges, the EU should see Turkey as a negotiating candidate country, not as a third country to knock on its door when needed, and should fulfill the requirements of the pact fidelity principle. The EU’s reports will only be taken seriously by us when such an approach is adopted.”
EU REPORT ON TURKEY
The “Turkey Report” within the scope of the 2022 Enlargement Package of the European Union (EU) Commission was shared with the public.
The 2022 Enlargement Package, which includes the latest evaluations of the EU Commission on Turkey, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, was announced by Oliver Varhelyi, Member of the EU Commission for Neighborhood and Enlargement.
The criticisms made in the previous years’ reports on issues such as democracy, fundamental rights and the judiciary regarding Turkey were repeated this year as well.
DEMOCRACY AND JUDICIARY: ACCOUNTABILITY LIMITED TO CHOICES
In the report, “there are serious deficiencies in the functioning of democratic institutions, the decline and structural deficiencies in the presidential system continue, the parliament continues to lack the necessary tools to hold the government accountable, a strong and effective separation of powers between the executive, the legislature and the judiciary is not ensured, and the democratic accountability of the executive branch is not maintained,” the report said. It was claimed that it continues to be limited to elections”.
“The situation in the Southeast is particularly worrying,” the report said, adding that in the judiciary, opposition parties in Parliament continue to systematically target members of parliament for terrorism-related crimes, the legal framework continues to be problematic for elections and political parties, and the government puts pressure on the mayors of opposition parties. was stated.
HUMAN RIGHTS: Emphasis on DEMİRTAŞ AND KAVALA
In the report, which defended the continued deterioration of human rights and fundamental freedoms, it was stated that most of the measures taken during the state of emergency remain in force, and that the legal framework should be harmonized with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) case law.
“Turkey’s continued refusal to implement certain ECtHR judgments, particularly in the Selahattin Demirtaş and Osman Kavala cases, is a serious concern over the judiciary’s adherence to international and European standards and Turkey’s commitment to promoting the rule of law and respect for fundamental rights,” the report said. it was said.
The report states that the human rights action plan adopted in 2021 continues to be implemented but does not lead to any improvement in the general human rights situation. It was stated that it continues to undermine its use.
Gender-based violence, discrimination and hate speech against “LGBTIQ persons” is a matter of serious concern, the report said.
TERROR
In the report, it was stated that security and military operations in Iraq and Syria continue, and the security situation in the border regions remains uncertain due to repeated terrorist acts by the terrorist organization PKK.
Emphasizing that the EU openly condemned the PKK’s attacks, he said, “The government has a legitimate right and responsibility to fight terrorism, but it is essential that it does so in accordance with the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms. Counter-terrorism measures must be proportionate. Achieving a sustainable solution There has been no progress on the resumption of a credible political peace process for opinion shared.
“THE ARMY AND POLICE ACCOUNTABILITY IS VERY LIMITED”
In the report, it was claimed that non-governmental organizations are faced with increasing pressure, the accountability of the army, police and intelligence services is very limited, and it is stated that Turkey is moderately prepared in the field of public administration reform, the accountability of the administration is insufficient, and human resources management needs to be improved. was done.
In the report of the EU Commission, it was argued that Turkey remains at an early stage of preparations for the fight against corruption, and that the legal framework as well as the accountability and transparency of public institutions should be improved in the prosecution and resolution of corruption cases.
In the report, it was noted that Turkey has a certain level of preparedness in the fight against organized crime, and since Turkish data protection legislation is not yet in line with the EU acquis, an international agreement on the exchange of personal data should be concluded between Europol and the Turkish authorities responsible for the fight against serious crime and terrorism.
“CRITERIA FOR VISA FREEDOM MUST BE FOLLOWED”
It was reminded that Turkey has made some progress on immigration and asylum policy, and some progress has been made in further strengthening the capacity for surveillance and protection of the land border with Iran.
It was stated that although the migration agreement with the EU continues to work, the number of irregular migrants arriving on most routes increased in 2021 compared to 2020, but this increase may be due in part to the removal of the measures taken by the countries of the region to control the Kovid-19 epidemic in 2020.
In the report, it was emphasized that the number of illegal border crossings between Turkey and Greece in general remained significantly lower than before the migration agreement.
“Turkey has continued to make significant efforts to host one of the world’s largest refugee communities and meet their needs,” the report said, arguing that effective integration measures are needed to address the growing refugee presence in the country.
In the report, it was stated that no criteria were met for visa liberalization and that Turkey still needs to align its legislation on visa policy with the EU acquis.
FOREIGN POLICY
“Turkey’s unilateral foreign policy continued to conflict with EU priorities under the common foreign and security policy (CFSP), particularly due to its military action in Syria and Iraq, and its non-compliance with EU restrictive measures against Russia,” the report said. expression was used.
In the report, Turkey, about the war that Russia started in Ukraine, recognizes and condemns it as a war, enforces the Montreux Convention, Turkish companies sell military ammunition to Ukraine, facilitates talks between Ukraine and Russia, aims to reduce tension and It was emphasized that he made a diplomatic attempt to achieve a ceasefire and facilitate the export of Ukrainian grain.
“The agreement that Ukraine and Russia agreed on in Istanbul on July 22, mediated by the UN and Turkey, would not have been possible without Turkey’s constructive role in facilitating its implementation.” In the report called, it was argued that Turkey avoided complying with EU sanctions against Russia.
“The improved dynamic observed in EU-Turkey relations since December 2020, following de-escalation in the Eastern Mediterranean, lasted several months before tensions in the Aegean resumed in April 2022,” the report said. it was said.
* The image of the news was provided by Anadolu Agency.