European Commission refuses to name exact term for Turkey's accession to EU

By Azernews

By Gunay Hasanova

The European Commission has refused to name possible terms of accession of Turkey to the European Union, RIA Novosti reported on August 19.

The Turkish authorities wished to become an EU member by 2023, as stated previously, the permanent representative of Turkey to the EU Selim Inel.

Currently the conditions for joining the EU is not the most favorable, but that could change quickly, he added.

“We can’t speculate on any possible timing of the entry of Turkey in the EU,” Representative of the EC Natasha Berto told reporters.

Berto quoted the words of Chairman of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, who believes that Turkey “is not currently ready and able to join” the EU.

Earlier, Chancellor of Austria Christian Kern announced his intention to initiate the suspension of negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the EU on September 16.

He said that Turkey neither now nor in the upcoming decades can be a candidate for EU membership, adding that at the current stage the negotiations on Turkey’s accession to the European Union is not more than “a diplomatic fiction”.

Previously, a representative of the European Commission said that timing of  the abolition of visas for Turkish citizens and further negotiation on the accession to the EU depend on the performance of the Turkish side regarding the remaining conditions of visa liberalization plan and subsequent decisions of the European Parliament and the Council in this regard.

In turn, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the EU that Turkey will have to withdraw from the implementation of the migrants return program unless the visa facilitation occurs.

The Heads of State and the EU Member States' governments agreed with Turkey upon a joint plan to combat the migration crisis in mid-March. The program is focusing on the return of illegal immigrants arriving from Greece to the territory of Turkey and accepting legal Syrian refugees in Turkey by the EU according to the principle of "one for one".

Turkey has long waited for its EU membership, while each application to accede to the European Union was frustrating for the government. Turkey, holding a status of an associate member at the Economic Community -- the predecessor of the EU since 1963 -- made an official application for entry on April 14, 1987.

The membership bid has become a major controversy of the ongoing enlargement of the European Union.

The upcoming summit of the 27 EU member states (excluding the UK) is scheduled to take place in Slovakia on September 16.