On April 16, the Turks are due to would vote on the issue of constitution amendments that could result in expanding their country's presidential powers.
In January 2017, the Turkish parliament supported the corresponding constitutional amendments which were then approved by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey's opposition has repeatedly voiced protest against the package, saying that it was Erdogan's attempt to grab more power.
Turkey further away from EU accession ‘than ever before’ – German FM https://t.co/TAXxogB3m7 pic.twitter.com/h19VHjZTSI
— RT (@RT_com) 18 марта 2017 г.
"Europe has formed a common point of view, according to which Turkey cannot enter the EU with its new constitution due to be adopted after the referendum," Cengiz Aktar said.
The expert also stressed that "a country that has deteriorated relations not only with the EU, but also with most European public and political organizations, is currently at the crossroads and must make a choice."
As tensions are rising between #Turkey and the EU, some MEPs ask for the country's accession negociations to be cut. Watch more ↓↓↓ pic.twitter.com/5itJVcCE8I
— EuroparlTV (@europarltv) 22 марта 2017 г.
"In a recent interview with an Austrian newspaper, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Johannes Khan mentioned Turkey's referendum on constitutional amendments and said that with such a constitution Turkey cannot be an EU member," Aktar said.
He recalled that the negotiating process on Turkey's accession to the EU has actually come to a standstill and that Ankara "does not take more steps towards the EU."
"Turkey currently does not open new negotiating chapters and it will not open them in the future because Austria openly stated that it is against opening these new chapters and continuing talks on the already open ones. In addition, Turkey has deteriorated relations with almost all institutions within the Council of Europe," Aktar added.
According to him, "we must understand that Turkish territory is of strategic importance to the West in terms of its relations with Russia."
"The West now making some concessions to Turkey on a number of issues aims to prevent Turkey from switching to full-fledged cooperation with Russia and prod Ankara to stay in NATO," he said.
Aktar added that "Turkey is now no longer following the road leading to Europe because it is moving in some other direction," and that "this is neither the Middle East nor the Shanghai Cooperation Organization."
More than 60% of Germans want to suspend Turkey-EU accession talks – poll https://t.co/laWe4SL02m
— Voice of Europe (@V_of_Europe) 15 марта 2017 г.
Earlier this month, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that the reintroduction of the capital punishment in Turkey will mean the end of the EU accession talks. Last month, President Erdogan said that the country may seek to reinstate death penalty as there was public demand for it.
In another development on March 24, Erdogan made it plain that he will continue to taunt European leaders with "Nazi" jibes, if they continue calling him a "dictator." His unapologetic stance came despite a raft of European leaders condemning the Turkish President of earlier referring to Dutch and German officials as "Nazis".
However, Brussels' relationship with Ankara took a hit in the aftermath of the coup, when the European Union objected to the Turkish government's clampdown on those suspected of ties to the coup organizers.
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