“The European Union let us in”. These are the words spoken by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
President Erdogan, expected in Italy today, in an interview with the press, said “We expect the EU to remove any artificial obstacles to our membership as soon as possible, taking a constructive approach. Turkey's accession cannot be sacrificed to internal political calculations ”. The president stresses that “Turkey has fulfilled its obligations as a candidate state but we cannot continue this process alone. The EU must also do its part, starting with keeping the promises made ”. According to the president “The EU is blocking access to the negotiations and suggests that the lack of progress depends on us. It's unfair. Just as it is that some EU countries put forward options other than membership for us ”. Also because Turkey wants "full EU membership." Other options do not satisfy us ”.
As for his visit to Italy and the scheduled meetings with the Pope, the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. Erdogan underlines that the first point of the talks with the Pope will be “The status of Jerusalem. After Trump's declaration, contrary to international law, we spoke. I want to thank him for our phone call to Jerusalem, after which Pope Francis wasted no time and spread a just message to the whole Christian world ”. “Because Jerusalem is not just a question of Muslims. We are both for the defense of the status quo and we have the will to protect it. No nation has the right to take unilateral steps and ignore international law on an issue that affects billions of people ”. Consequently "" the status of the city must be preserved, based on UN resolutions, ensuring Muslims, Christians and Jews to live in peace, side by side. The international community must take responsibility for ensuring peace in Jerusalem ”.
President Erdogan, referring to bilateral relations with our country, declared that "we must improve them. We had a very important agreement, for example, for Attack Agusta Westlan helicopters and we want to develop that kind of cooperation again. "
Entrepreneurs are also expected and hopes that the meeting will be fruitful. Italy is our third commercial partner but the potential is greater. You are eleventh in the number of companies present - around 1400 - and we want to increase them ”.
Speaking of Libya, Erdogan then recalls that “Italy and Turkey have relaunched the activities of their embassies in Tripoli. The more the presence of our two countries increases in Libya, the more opportunities for cooperation will be there. The joint working group, currently being defined, on Libya will soon be operational ”. While referring to the possible protests on the occasion of both the visit to Rome by those who accuse Turkey of violating human rights, he says: “I am not addressing those who support terrorism but those who fight it. With the terrorists I behave like in Afrin, I do it because they only understand that language, and I will continue to do so. What language did Italy speak with the terrorists? What language do France, Great Britain, America, Russia speak to terrorists? Here, I also speak that language ”.