‘EU is a Christian Union’: Erdogan Explains Why Turkey Can’t Join the Bloc
SputnikNews.com
02.04.2017
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spelled out the main reason why the Middle-Eastern state’s accession to the European Union has been stalled.
“Do you know why Turkey has not been able to enter the EU for 54 years? The reason is absolutely clear: the EU is a Christian union,” Erdogan said at a rally in Ankara on Sunday.
The relations between Turkey and the European Union have deteriorated due to the refusal of several European governments, including the Netherlands and Germany, to allow Turkish ministers to hold campaign meetings with local expat communities ahead of the Turkish constitutional amendments referendum, aimed at expanding presidential powers. Erdogan compared the authorities in Berlin with Nazis and branded Amsterdam as “Fascists, Nazi remnants”.
The president said at the rally that the proposed constitutional changes [giving Turkey’s president more power] would boost the country’s economic development, which is something Ankara’s opponents are against.
“The Turkish economy grew by 2.9 percent in 2016 while a number of Western countries can’t overcome their economic crisis,” he added.
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