Erdogan: Europe didn’t keep its word

By  Trend

Europe didn’t keep its promise to cancel the visa regime for Turkish citizens, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an interview with German RTL TV channel, Anadolu Agency reports.

Erdogan said that if Europe doesn’t keep its word, Turkey won’t accept Syrian refugees from the European Union.

Earlier, European Commission’s President Jean-Claude Juncker said the EU may introduce visa-free regime for Turkey in the autumn of 2016, but in case if Ankara fulfills all the requirements.

“Turkey expected Europe to support it during the last military coup attempt,” Erdogan said. “European countries should have sent at least one representative to Turkey for support, as it was done after the terrorist attack in France.”

Commenting on the decision of Germany’s Constitutional Court to ban his televised address to a rally in Cologne, Erdogan said he “doesn’t respect this decision of the court.”

Germany’s highest court on July 31 upheld a ruling that banned Erdogan from addressing a rally via a video call to protest the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.

On July 15 evening, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country. Meanwhile, a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them.

However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed.

Erdogan had said the death toll as a result of the military coup attempt stood at 246 people, excluding the coup plotters, and over 2,000 people were wounded.

He declared a three-month state of emergency in Turkey on July 20.