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EU Lawmakers to Vote on Freezing Turkey's Accession Talks on November 24

© REUTERS / Francois LenoirA woman adjusts the Turkish flag next to the European Union flag before the arrival of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (unseen) at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels January 15, 2015.
A woman adjusts the Turkish flag next to the European Union flag before the arrival of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (unseen) at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels January 15, 2015. - Sputnik International
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The European Parliament will vote on a resolution calling on the European Union to freeze Turkey's accession negotiations on November 24, a source in the legislature told RIA Novosti.

File photo taken from the Turkish side of the border between Turkey and Syria, in Akcakale, Sanliurfa province, southeastern Turkey, Syrian refugees burst into Turkey after breaking the border fence and crossing from Syria cross into Turkey - Sputnik International
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BRUSSELS (Sputnik) The source said the non-binding resolution was set to be debated on next Tuesday, November 22.

According to the source, the resolution has been initiated by the parliamentary group of European socialists and democrats, which is the second largest and influential faction in the European Parliament.

Brussels has been concerned about renewed attempts to reinstate the death penalty in Turkey, as well as by closures of media outlets, arrests of journalists and Kurdish opposition leaders that have shaken the country after a military faction made an unsuccessful bid to overthrow the Turkish president in July.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that the issue of Turkey joining the European Union could be put to a referendum next year. Erdogan's warnings followed European Parliament President Martin Schulz’s threats to introduce economic sanctions against Turkey amid arrests of opposition politicians and journalists in the country. Schulz also said that Brussels would halt Ankara's accession talks if Turkey introduced capital punishment.

Turkey signed an association agreement with the then-European Community in 1963, and submitted a membership application in 1987. Talks about Ankara's membership of the European Union began in 2005. The negotiations on Turkish EU membership have been repeatedly suspended due to the Cyprus dispute and Turkey's record of denying press freedom, among other obstacles.

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