Turkey Urged To Not Link Joint Refugee Action Plan To EU Accession Talks

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EU-Turkey cooperation on migration should be uncoupled from the EU accession negotiating process, said EU Foreign Affairs Committee MEPs in a report voted on Tuesday. The MEPs praised Turkey for hosting the largest refugee population in the world, and noted that it remains a “key strategic partner for the EU,” but nonetheless the called for progress on rule of law and fundamental values and “a more structured and frequent political dialogue on key thematic issues”.

“The overall pace of reforms in Turkey has not only slowed down but in some key areas, such as freedom of expression and the independence of the judiciary, there has been a regression, which is particularly worrying,” said rapporteur Kati Piri (S&D, NL). In this report “we also express our concern about the escalation of violence in the south east of Turkey, which caused almost 400,000 people to leave their houses”, she added.

“Outsourcing the refugee crisis to Turkey is not a credible long-term solution to the problem,” said MEPs. They believe that the EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan on refugees and migration management should be implemented immediately, but only as “part of a comprehensive cooperation agenda based on shared responsibility, mutual commitments and delivery.”

Furthermore, “EU-Turkey cooperation on migration should not be linked to the calendar, content and conditionality of the negotiation process”.

Serious backsliding on fundamental freedoms

MEPs urged Turkey to act against intimidation of journalists in all its forms, condemn its violent and illegal take-over of several newspapers and highlight its serious backsliding, over the past two years, on freedom of speech, expression and opinion, both on-line and off-line.

To match the EU’s commitment to the rule of law, fundamental values and freedoms, which are core European values, reforms of the judiciary, justice, freedom and security are urgently needed in Turkey, said the text.

Kurdish peace process

MEPs called for an immediate ceasefire in south east Turkey and the resumption of the peace process. They urge the Turkish government to shoulder its responsibility to resume negotiations for a negotiated, comprehensive and sustainable solution to the Kurdish issue. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), should lay down its arms, abandon terrorist tactics and use peaceful and legal means to voice its expectations, they added.

Cyprus reunification talks

Welcoming the considerable progress made in the Cyprus reunification talks, MEPs pledged support for the evolution of the Republic of Cyprus into “a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality between the two communities and equal opportunities for all its citizens.”

They urged both parties to implement all agreed measures without further delay.

The full House will vote on the report in Strasbourg in April.

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