The Parliament also called for the suspension of trade preferences under the agricultural products agreement and, if necessary, the suspension of the Customs Union between the EU and Turkey. The resolution also emphasizes the need for an initiative by the Head of the European Union’s Foreign Service to launch a comprehensive EU embargo on arms supplies to Turkey, including dual-use equipment and technologies.
Sputnik has discussed the significance of this resolution and its possible consequences with the former ambassador and former head of the office of Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, head of the Directorate for International Programmes of the Foreign Policy Institute, Oktay Aksoy.
According to him, “the EP has fallen somewhat out of the active historical process.”
“This structure can no longer quickly monitor the global political agenda. Turkey, by the way, has long emphasised these problems within the EP to the global community,” Aksoy said.
“While Turkey is conducting active diplomatic traffic with Russia and the United States, seeking to solve the problems that it faces in the region, the EP is trying to find solutions to nonexistent problems. This situation demonstrates a general decline in Europe’s importance in global politics.”
“Instead of solving their real internal problems, they try to attack Turkey, which they don’t want to see in their ranks, with resolutions” Aksoy told Sputnik.
According to Aksoy, a vivid example of the inconsistency of European politics is the EU’s approach to the problem of Syrian refugees.
“On the one hand, Europeans are afraid of the influx of migrants into their countries through Turkey; but on the other hand, they condemn Ankara’s actions to ensure their own security in the region. In short, the EP demonstrates a strange and inconsistent position,” he said.
“In the near future, the Turkish President is expected to hold talks with the President of France, as well as the Prime Ministers of Britain and Germany. The European Parliament should at least wait for the outcome of these negotiations. This decision of the EP is an unacceptable and shameful step,” Aksoy concluded.
The views and opinions expressed by the speaker do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.
