EU should decide if it wants Turkey: Foreign minister

ANKARA

The EU should decide whether it wants to see Turkey in the union or not, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday.

"If the European Union doesn't want to have us, they have to give the decision," Cavusoglu told a news conference after the 4th Visegrad Group (V4)+Turkey Foreign Ministers Meeting in Slovakia.

"But it's not only about the reform, or it's not only about the benchmarks or criteria that Turkey can meet or Turkey has not met," he said.

Turkey has repeatedly complained of political hurdles, discrimination and double standards standing in the way of its joining the EU.

During the meeting, Cavusoglu, Slovakia's Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, Czech Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek, Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz, and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto exchanged views on Turkey-EU relations and discussed recent international developments.

Turkey applied for EU membership in 1987 and accession talks began in 2005.

But negotiations stalled in 2007 due to the objections of the Greek Cypriot administration on the divided island of Cyprus as well as opposition from Germany and France.

Cavusoglu said Turkey has a population of 82 million, which he said would give the country the highest number of seats at the European Parliament than any other country if Ankara were an EU member.

"Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country. So, if the EU is a religious club, that's fine. If the EU does not want to share anything, including power with another country or member state, that is also fine. The membership is a still strategic goal for us," he said.

Cavusoglu said following the March 31 local polls, Turkey is ready to negotiate any chapter and meet any conditions and the standards.

"Now, the reform is a priority for Turkey, but we should avoid political obstacles, he added.

S-400 missile defense purchase

Speaking on a deal with Russia to buy S-400 missile defense systems, Cavusoglu said Turkey had had an urgent need to acquire such systems.

"For at least decade, Turkey has tried to purchase such systems from its allies, including the U.S.," he said.

Recalling a remark by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg who has said any NATO ally can buy defense systems from any country.

"If we can buy [it] from our American allies or from France or from Italy, we will, of course, do that. Otherwise we have to buy [it] from somewhere else."

Washington has balked at Turkey's purchase of the Russian S-400s.

U.S. officials have suggested Turkey buy the U.S. Patriot missile system rather than the S-400, arguing it is incompatible with NATO systems and is a threat to the F-35 fifth-generation stealth aircraft.

Turkey responded it was the U.S. refusal to sell it Patriots that led it to seek other sellers, adding that Russia offered a better deal, including technology transfers.

Rising of far-right in Europe

On the rise of extreme-right in Europe, Cavusoglu the far-right ideologies or political parties were a threat to every value the EU cherished.

"They are Islamophobic. They are racist, they are xenophobic. They are anti-immigrant, they are against all core European values, and they are against the European Union itself," he underlined.

"Therefore, this is not only a concern for Turkey or the others. It should also be a concern for all the EU member states or and the European countries," he added.