EU making 'serious mistakes' over failed Turkish coup - Turkish minister [View all]
Source: Reuters
The European Union is making serious mistakes in its response to Turkey's failed coup and is losing support for EU membership from Turks as a result, Turkey's foreign minister said on Wednesday.
In an interview with the state-run Anadolu agency, Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey's rapprochement with Russia was not meant as a message to the West. However, he said if the West "loses" Turkey it will be because of its own mistakes, not Ankara's good ties with Russia, China or the Islamic world.
His comments reflect the deep frustration in Turkey over the perception that Europe and the United States have given lukewarm support to Ankara after the failed July 15 coup, when a faction of the military commandeered tanks and warplanes in an attempt to topple the government.
"Unfortunately the EU is making some serious mistakes. They have failed the test following the coup attempt," he said in the interview, which was broadcast live.
"Support for EU membership used to be around 50 percent of the population, I assume it is around 20 percent now," he said.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/uk-russia-turkey-europe-minister-idUSKCN10L0SD
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