Bahçeli blasts EU chief's Türkiye remarks, citing hypocrisy

ANKARA

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli issued a warning on April 28 to the European Union, condemning recent remarks by Ursula von der Leyen that placed Türkiye alongside geopolitical rivals, triggering a strong backlash in Ankara.

Bahçeli, a key ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, said the comments by the EU chief were "detached from reality" and reflected what he described as a "hypocritical and double-standard approach" toward Türkiye.

He criticized von der Leyen for grouping Türkiye with Russia and China as external influences, arguing that such comparisons were "politically morally flawed" and "strategically inconsistent," according to remarks carried by Turkish media.

"These words by the European Commission president cannot be dismissed as a slip of the tongue, they are an expression of the prejudice, arrogance and double standards that lie deep within the mind," Bahçeli said at a weekly MHP meeting in parliament.

"This attitude cannot foster a language of partnership. This attitude cannot foster sincerity. This attitude cannot build a climate of trust."

During an event in Hamburg on April 20, Von der Leyen expressed support for EU enlargement while warning of external influence on the continent.

“We must succeed in completing the European continent so that it is not influenced by Russia, Türkiye or China,” she said.

Her comments drew a mixed reaction within European political circles. Former EU Council head Charles Michel voiced support for Türkiye and appeared to question von der Leyen’s framing.

Bahçeli said Türkiye's direction has been shaped "within the grand historical trajectory of engaging with the West for centuries, knowing the West, confronting it when necessary and negotiating with it when necessary."

"Neither Brussels can show us where we came from, nor can the European bureaucracy dictate the path Türkiye should take,” he said.

“Bloc-based dogmatism cannot determine the extent, framework or depth of Türkiye's relations with Russia, China, the Turkic world, the Islamic world, Europe and other global centers."