By ASSOCIATED PRESS
ISTANBUL, Turkey
A speech by Turkey’s foreign minister was interrupted by opposition legislators who criticized a deal on membership talks with the European Union because they said it made it easy for Europe to reject Turkey’s entry bid in the end.
Some analysts have also criticized the document agreed to early Tuesday, which sets out the framework for membership negotiations. The document says the entry talks are “open-ended” and their outcome “cannot be guaranteed.”
It also says factors outside Turkey’s control – such as the EU’s “capacity to absorb Turkey” – will be taken into account when deciding on the country’s eventual membership in the bloc.
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul’s address to parliament Wednesday was interrupted several times by shouting legislators who asked why they were not consulted or allowed to see the document before it was signed at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
“Mr. minister, I wonder if when you’re going to Luxembourg, can’t someone send a text or a fax. … We live in the same city,” said Onur Oymen, speaking for the leading opposition party, the Democratic People’s Party. “Do you have the right to leave us uninformed?”
Gul said that he did. “We’re not a coalition government, all the political responsibility falls on us,” he said.
Yorumlar kapatıldı.