Erdogan Spokesman Slams Juncker's Remarks on Turkish EU Accession

The Turkish presidential press secretary told reporters that the EU was moving away from its own values, commenting on recent remarks made by the EU Commission president.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — The European Union's recent statements are evidence that it is moving away from its own values, Turkish Presidential Press Secretary Ibrahim Kalin said Thursday, commenting on remarks made by the European Commission president concerning the relations between Turkey and the 28-member bloc.

"[Juncker] should be careful with such statements… It is not Turkey that has been stepping away from Europe, but EU [which has been] moving away from its own values with its statements and growth of xenophobia and Islamophobia. Europe should analyze its internal situation," Kalin told reporters.

On Wednesday, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that Turkey's membership of the European Union was out of the question for the foreseeable future. He pointed out that Turkey was rapidly pulling away from the European Union, adding that Europe was still willing to cooperate with Ankara, but only based on European values.

In May, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Europe for discrimination, cultural racism, xenophobia, and Islamophobia, adding that these tendencies resulted in the deterioration of relations between Ankara and Brussels.