Turkey's membership in the European Union (EU) is not a priority for Ankara, and Europe itself will lose by refusing to accept the republic into the community. This was stated on August 15 by the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an interview with the Qatari TV channel Al Jazeera Arabic.
"Joining the European Union is not our priority, and Europe will be at a loss from Turkey not joining [the community]," the Turkish leader said on social network X (formerly Twitter).
Erdogan noted that European countries do not show readiness for Turkey's integration. From this, the politician concluded that Europe probably does not want to include the republic in the EU.
Political commentator Ercan Mumlu said on July 18 that there is a growing awareness in Turkey that under current Brussels policy, the prospect of the country's EU accession is almost lost. According to Mumlu, Ankara's recent statements towards the EU indicate diminishing hopes for membership negotiations.
The EU Council on July 15 approved a document with assessments regarding Turkey, Cyprus, and regional security. Turkey's Foreign Ministry called it biased, and Erdogan's administration said it shows Brussels lacks a vision for a common future.
