EU May Use Economic Ties With Turkey to Put Pressure on Ankara Over Crackdown

Turkey’s economic dependence on the European Union could be used to turn up the pressure on Ankara to stop its crackdown on opposition, Luxembourg’s foreign minister said Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Jean Asselborn accused Ankara of using methods like those that were practiced during Nazi era and warned a time might come when Brussels would resort to using economy as leverage against the Turkish government "to check the unspeakable situation in human rights."

"Fifty percent of Turkish exports go to the EU, compared with only 2 percent from Russia. Sixty percent of investment to Turkey comes from the EU. It is an absolute means of pressure," Asselborn told German radio DLF.

Thousands of Turkish civil servants, academics, journalists, and servicemen have been fired after last July’s coup attempt. Asselborn said some of those names were published, making it impossible for people to earn their living. He described this practice as a "civil death."

At the same time, the Luxembourgian minister said Turkey’s membership of NATO had not been called into question after post-coup purges began. He also denied that European Union’s migrant deal with Ankara was a mistake. Asselborn said Brussels needed Turkey to keep almost 3 million Syrian refugees away and would continue financing it.