Germany rejects demands to end Turkey's EU membership bidApril 28, 2017 - 16:32 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Germany rejected on Friday, April 28 demands to halt Turkey's bid to join the European Union, even as some EU states said Ankara's membership dream was dead after Turks voted to grant President Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers, Reuters said. Increasingly worried with what the European Union sees as Erdogan's growing authoritarianism, EU lawmakers called this week for a formal suspension of Turkey's long-stalled EU bid, saying it does not meet democratic standards. But German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who will discuss the issue on Friday with his EU counterparts and with Turkey's top diplomat Mevlut Cavusoglu, said such a step would be counterproductive. "The German government is strictly against cancelling the (accession) talks, that would be totally the wrong reaction," he told reporters as he arrived for the meeting in Malta. "Those who would like to win applause at home because they say 'We do not talk to Turkey any more' will not change anything in Turkey," he said. Austria has led calls to abort the process, which was launched in 2005 and has been frozen by political obstacles over Cyprus and resistance in some EU states to let in the majority Muslim country, even before this month's referendum. "It would be absolutely wrong to stick to the illusion of accession (to the EU)," Austria's Sebastian Kurz said. Erdogan narrowly won a referendum to implement the biggest overhaul of Turkey's political system since the modern state was established nearly a century ago. Supporters say it will give Turkey stability but EU officials and Turkey's opposition say it is the beginning of one-man rule. Erdogan's security crackdown following a failed coup last July, his 'Nazi' jibes against EU states Germany and the Netherlands, and what the bloc sees as persecution of dissenting voices, have provoked a crisis in relations. Photo: Radikal Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |