Türkiye denounces European Parliament report as biased

ANKARA

Türkiye rejected the European Parliament’s latest country report on June 17, dismissing the document as politically motivated, biased and detached from the strategic realities shaping ties between Ankara and the European Union.

In a statement, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry said the report had been prepared “within a deliberately political agenda reflecting the ideological dogmas” of some European Parliament members.

“It is clear that the report … aims to overshadow the current positive agenda at a time when the strategic importance of Türkiye-EU relations is steadily increasing,” the ministry said.

The European Parliament adopted the non-binding report earlier in the day during a vote in Strasbourg, with 381 lawmakers voting in favor, 107 against and 171 abstaining.

The document incorporated some of 55 proposed amendments and expanded criticism of developments inside Türkiye alongside longstanding concerns over democracy, judicial independence and human rights.

Among the additions were provisions backing Greece’s positions in disputes in the Aegean Sea and opposing Türkiye’s “Blue Homeland” maritime doctrine, while also encouraging Ankara and Athens to continue dialogue and cooperation.

The final text also included language condemning a court ruling that removed the leadership of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) — an issue not included in the original draft.

Visa policy remained another major focus. The parliament urged Türkiye to fulfill the remaining six benchmarks required for visa liberalization under the Schengen system, while supporting measures to ease visa procedures and calling on EU member states to allocate additional resources.

As in previous years, the report criticized Türkiye’s judicial system and domestic political developments. The European Parliament also renewed references to secularism after a five-year absence.

The final version retained a proposal calling for sanctions against Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, including freezing assets within the EU, after no amendment was submitted to remove the measure.

Türkiye rejected those provisions and defended the independence of its judicial institutions.

“The distortion of the ongoing judicial processes conducted by the independent Turkish judiciary and the targeting of Akın Gürlek … with baseless accusations are unacceptable,” the ministry said.

“The Turkish judiciary, one of the fundamental pillars of our state’s sovereignty, is not open to interference from any international institution, external actor, or political circle.”

Türkiye’s accession negotiations with the European Union formally began in 2005 but have been effectively frozen since 2018.

The European Parliament reiterated that accession talks cannot advance without concrete improvements in rule of law standards and democratic governance.

Ankara, however, maintains that the EU has failed to uphold commitments made during the accession process and argues that Brussels has not pursued policies that preserve Türkiye’s membership perspective.

The Foreign Ministry said it expected the European Parliament to adopt “an approach that will contribute to advancing the relations between Türkiye and the EU on a constructive basis founded on shared interests” amid growing global challenges.