This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/22/turkey-eu-referendum-foreign-minister-mevlut-cavusoglu-david-cameron

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Turkey should not be an issue in EU referendum, says foreign minister Turkey should not be an issue in EU referendum, says foreign minister
(35 minutes later)
Turkey’s status as a candidate to join the European Union should not be an issue in the UK referendum since the country has never been a burden on the EU, the Turkish foreign minister has said.Turkey’s status as a candidate to join the European Union should not be an issue in the UK referendum since the country has never been a burden on the EU, the Turkish foreign minister has said.
“It is not right that the issue of when Turkey will become a member of the EU is used in the Brexit campaign. Turkey has never been a burden on the EU,” Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told a news conference in Ankara.“It is not right that the issue of when Turkey will become a member of the EU is used in the Brexit campaign. Turkey has never been a burden on the EU,” Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu told a news conference in Ankara.
Çavuşoğlu added that Turkey would like Britain to stay in the EU for a stronger bloc. He said Turkey would like Britain to stay in the EU for a stronger bloc.
His remarks are the latest sign of tensions between Turkey and the UK over David Cameron’s insistence that Turkey should not expect to join the EU until the year 3000.His remarks are the latest sign of tensions between Turkey and the UK over David Cameron’s insistence that Turkey should not expect to join the EU until the year 3000.
During the campaign Cameron has put various time frames on Turkey’s possible membership of the EU but for diplomatic reasons has refused to declare whether the UK will use its veto to block Turkey. During the campaign Cameron has put various timeframes on Turkey’s possible membership of the EU but for diplomatic reasons has refused to declare whether the UK would use its veto to block Turkey.
Although the EU has said it will shortly open talks on the next chapter of the lengthy Turkish accession process, the move is seen as largely symbolic due to the overwhelming opposition to Turkish membership across the European Union. Although the EU has said it will shortly open talks on the next chapter of the lengthy Turkish accession process, the move is seen as largely symbolic due to the overwhelming opposition to Turkish membership across the European Union. It takes only one EU member state to block an accession.
It only takes one EU member state to block an accession. Even if Britain chose not to veto Turkish membership, a host of other European countries say they are willing to reject Turkey. The French Socialist government, for instance, has said it would not agree to the Turkish membership of the EU without holding a referendum.
Even if Britain chose not to veto Turkish membership, there are a host of other European countries that say they are willing to reject Turkey. The French Socialist government for instance has said it would not agree to the Turkish membership of the EU without holding a referendum. Speaking on LBC on Wednesday, Cameron said the issue of Turkish membership of the EU was the “reddest of red herrings”.
Speaking on LBC on Wednesday Cameron said the issue of Turkish membership of the EU did not arise, and was the “reddest of red herrings”.
Asked to rule out Turkish membership of the EU, he said: “We want Turkey to be a democracy. We want it to lean towards the west. We want it to have a market economy. But the idea of it joining the EU is decades away.”Asked to rule out Turkish membership of the EU, he said: “We want Turkey to be a democracy. We want it to lean towards the west. We want it to have a market economy. But the idea of it joining the EU is decades away.”
Sir John Major, the former UK prime minister, said on Wednesday that Turkey would not join the EU for a decade or two, a shorter time frame than Cameron’s. Sir John Major, the former UK prime minister, said on Wednesday that Turkey would not join the EU for a decade or two, a shorter timeframe than Cameron’s.
The Leave campaign, arguing that the referendum is the last to be held on the UK’s future relations with the EU for decades, says it is legitimate to raise the prospect that Turkey will join the EU at some point in the foreseeable future. It points out that the Foreign Office in Ankara has a dedicated team working to prepare Turkey for membership. The leave campaign, arguing that the referendum will be the last on the issue of UK relations with the EU for decades, says it is legitimate to raise the prospect that Turkey will join the EU at some point in the foreseeable future. It points out that the Foreign Office in Ankara has a dedicated team working to prepare Turkey for membership.
The UK has since the 1990s been one of the leading advocates of Turkey’s membership of the EU, but the growing repression by the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, including the arrest of journalists and his call for greater executive powers, has put the Turkish case for membership backwards. Since the 1990s the UK has been one of the leading advocates of Turkey’s membership of the EU, but the growing repression by the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, including the arrest of journalists and his call for greater executive powers, has put the Turkish case for membership backwards.
However, the issue remains extremely sensitive diplomatically, as Turkey’s co-operation is required to stem the flow of refugees from Syria, as well as to act as an opponent of President Bashar al-Assad inside Syria. The issue remains extremely sensitive diplomatically, as Turkey’s cooperation is required to stem the flow of refugees from Syria, as well as to act as an opponent of President Bashar al-Assad inside Syria.
İlnur Çevik, chief adviser to the president, told BBC Newsnight: “We thought that Cameron was our chief supporter in our quest for European Union membership. We are really, really flabbergasted, let’s put it that way. İlnur Çevik, chief adviser to the president, told theBBC’s Newsnight: “We thought that Cameron was our chief supporter in our quest for European Union membership. We are really, really flabbergasted, let’s put it that way.
“Turks felt that the British were the driving force behind our EU membership and that they were driving us right to the hilt. “Turks felt that the British were the driving force behind our EU membership and that they were driving us right to the hilt. The way Mr Cameron put it, we feel really, really taken in. The way he’s saying it, ‘they were never going to get in anyway, we just said we’ll go along with them’, that kind of attitude is deeply hurting the Turks.”
“The way Mr Cameron put it, we feel really, really taken in. The way he’s saying it, ‘they were never going to get in anyway, we just said we’ll go along with them’, that kind of attitude is deeply hurting the Turks.” Iain Duncan Smith, a prominent leave campaigner, said: “David Cameron has repeatedly claimed that Turkey is not going to join the EU despite it being government policy. Now the Turkish government has confirmed that he is the ‘chief supporter’ of their bid to join the EU.
Iain Duncan Smith, the prominent Leave campaigner, said: “David Cameron has repeatedly claimed that Turkey is not going to join the EU despite it being government policy. Now the Turkish government has confirmed that he is the ‘chief supporter’ of their bid to join the EU.
“Cameron also said that Turkey will not join until the year 3000 but Sir John Major has let the cat out of the bag - Turkey could be in the EU in 10 years’ time.”“Cameron also said that Turkey will not join until the year 3000 but Sir John Major has let the cat out of the bag - Turkey could be in the EU in 10 years’ time.”
The EU and Turkey signed a refugee deal on 18 March, which aimed to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of nearly 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. The EU and Turkey signed a refugee deal on 18 March, which aimed to discourage irregular migration across the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of nearly 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.
The deal also allows for the acceleration of Turkey’s EU membership bid and visa-free travel for Turkish nationals within the Schengen area, on the condition that Ankara meets 72 requirements set by the EU. The visa-free aspect of the deal has been delayed until October. The deal allows for the acceleration of Turkey’s EU membership bid and visa-free travel for Turkish nationals within the Schengen area, on the condition that Ankara meets 72 requirements set by the EU. The visa-free aspect of the deal has been delayed until October.