Turkish Foreign Ministry
Turkey “deeply regrets” comments made by French President Emmanuel Macron at the ambassadors’ dinner held in Paris regarding the EU accession process on Monday, according to a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry.
“For French President Emmanuel Macron to say that our country is anti-EU does not jibe with reality,” the statement read.
"They’re far from understanding the realities of Turkey"
“Our country went through a very difficult phase following the July 15 coup attempt, however, during last month alone, the state of emergency was lifted and Turkey entered a normalized phase and moved toward a presidential system that allows it to take strides forward especially with regards to EU reforms,” the statement continued.
“Macron’s Turkey statements, despite our repeated explanations, show once more how far he is from understanding the realities of Turkey,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.
The statement reiterated that Turkey is an indivisible part of Europe from a political, geographical and historical perspective.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will attend an informal meeting of Foreign Ministers of the European Union member states to be held in Vienna on Aug. 30-31.In a statement, the Ministry said Cavusoglu "will participate in the informal meeting to be held with the participation of Foreign Ministers of the EU member and candidate countries […] upon the invitation of Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/the Vice President of the Commission and Karin Kneissl, Federal Minister for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Austria currently holding the EU Presidency.""The informal meeting format in question, also known as “Gymnich meetings”, gives the opportunity for an exchange of views on foreign policy developments," the statement noted.Participants of the meeting are to "mainly exchange views on multilateralism, digitalization and critical infrastructure areas, as well as on current regional and global developments and challenges."“Furthermore, discussions will be held with EU member states’ Ministers concerning Turkey’s accession process and bilateral relations," the statement added.
Turkish minister to attend EU foreign ministers meeting
Turkey’s ties to Russia are not an alternative to relations with the U.S. and the EU, said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Tuesday. Speaking at a joint press conference with his Lithuanian counterpart Linas Linkevicius, Çavuşoğlu addressed Turkey’s deteriorating relations with the U.S., noting that numerous congressmen and senators are “working hard” to repair the damage done to ties between the two NATO allies. “The U.S. should drop its threatening language. If it adopts an attitude of ‘I’ll do as I please’ like in cowboy movies, it will face a counter-reaction.” Addressing the issue of blocking the delivery of F-35 jets to Turkey, Çavuşoğlu reiterated that Turkey is a partner in the project and that it is backed by international law.EU for stable economic development in Turkey: GermanyWhy Turkey should establish a naval base in Northern CyprusTurkish, American defense chiefs talk over phone “Can the U.S. who is saying, ‘Don’t purchase the S-400 defense system,’ guarantee that we’d be supplied with Patriot?” asked Çavuşoğlu.Russia will begin delivering its advanced S-400 missile defense system to Turkey in 2019, Russia's state arms exporter Rosoboronexport said.Turkey and the U.S. are currently experiencing rocky relations following Washington’s imposition of sanctions on Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and Justice Minister Abdülhamit Gül for not releasing American Pastor Andrew Brunson. The sanctions were followed by U.S President Donald Trump increasing tariffs on Turkish imports, which Turkey responded to by imposing customs duties on several U.S.-origin products, including alcohol and tobacco products and cars.Earlier, Çavuşoğlu arrived in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius for an official visit and met Lithuania's President Dalia Grybauskaite.“At our meeting with President Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania, we conveyed [to her] President Erdoğan’s best wishes and congratulations on the occasion of the Centennial of the Restoration of the State of Lithuania,” Cavusoglu said on Twitter.Also on Twitter, he announced the signing of "Turkey-Lithuania Agreement on Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments."“We appreciate Lithuania’s support for Turkey’s EU accession process," Cavusoglu added.Iran sanctions"Turkey is not one of the states of United States, Turkey is an independent state. We don’t have to agree on every decision or actions of one country against another country, particularly when it is not fair, and not just," he said, referring to U.S. sanctions on Iran.U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of a 2015 pact between Iran and major world powers under which sanctions were lifted in return for Tehran accepting curbs on its nuclear program. The Trump administration then announced unilateral plans to restore sanctions against Tehran.
Ties to Russia no alternative to US, EU: Turkish FM
The European Union wants to see a stable economic development in Turkey, Germany’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.Speaking to German business representatives and ambassadors at the Foreign Ministry, Heiko Maas criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s sanctions and his economic pressure policy towards Turkey.“Of course we Europeans have a great interest in a stable economic development in Turkey,” he stressed.Maas said he will visit Turkey next week to meet Turkish government officials and discuss recent economic developments.The German foreign minister is scheduled to pay a two-day visit to Turkey on Sept. 5-6, ahead of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s key visit to Berlin on Sept. 28-29.Over the past two years political relations between Ankara and Berlin have suffered setbacks, but in recent months both sides have taken steps towards improving ties.Germany is Turkey’s main economic and trade partner. More than 7,500 German companies are active in Turkey. In 2017, the bilateral trade volume reached €37.6 billion ($43.6 billion).Germany condemns far-right demo in eastern city after fatal disputeGermany slams US President Trump’s sanctions policyCanada appeals for German backing amid Saudi rights rowRacism in Germany ‘must be taken seriously,’ says Merkel after Özil debateGermany says Turkey’s stability important for EuropeGerman CEO sees rebound in Turkish tourism sector
EU for stable economic development in Turkey: Germany
“Islamic terror” remark caught our attention
The statement issued by the foreign ministry criticized Macron’s repeated use of the term “Islamic terror” during his speech.
“We would like to reiterate one more time what a grave error it is to associate a religion with such acts despite the fact that terror has no religion, nation or race