Belgian PM Michel says Turkey's EU bid should end

PanARMENIAN.Net - Belgium's prime minister said Friday, May 5 the time has come for the European Union to make a final decision about Turkey's "dead end" bid for membership, saying that after months of provocations from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, "masochism must have its limits," The Associated Press reports exclusively.

"Here and now, I have impression that the membership process is not the right framework to have a successful dialogue with Turkey," Charles Michel said in an interview with the Associated Press.

Austria is also seeking to end Turkey's membership bid, and a growing group of countries say they've realized acting as if Turkey is still a constructive partner would amount to a charade.

"Let's be frank — for several months now there is an acceleration in the process of the Turkish government turning its back on European values," Michel said.

Erdogan recently won a referendum that expands his powers, and he has had equally harsh words for the EU. He has also said he may hold a referendum on whether the country should continue its membership efforts.

The suppression of an attempted coup last summer and the resulting purge of tens of thousands of people from government jobs have been widely criticized in Europe as a move toward authoritarianism. Erdogan's campaign for the referendum giving him more power further undermined whatever goodwill was left.

To top it off, Erdogan compared Belgian neighbors Germany and the Netherlands to Nazis over restrictions they imposed on government ministers trying to drum up support for the April referendum among Turks living abroad.

"The past months made a lot clear about the developments in Turkey and the way in which the referendum campaign was held. It was clearly an anti-European campaign. So, at a certain point for the European Union, masochism must have its limits," Michel said. "This is not simply becoming member of an economic or political club, it is also becoming member of a set of fundamental values."

Turkey applied to join the EU three decades ago, and negotiations started in 2005. Over the past dozen years, the talks have ground to a halt over increasingly bitter recriminations about who is responsible for the lack of progress.