European envoy: Turkey must soften tone to avoid isolation

A top European official stated on Wednesday in Istanbul that Turkey is "isolated" on the international stage and must "abandon its hostile tone" if it wants significant concessions from the European Union.

Nacho Sánchez Amor, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on Turkey, said during a press conference that Ankara's sharp rhetoric on foreign affairs is one of the main obstacles to improving its relations with Brussels.

Turkey is demanding facilitation of visa procedures for its citizens entering Europe and the update of the customs agreement signed with the European Union in 1995 to enhance its exports.

Last week, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, suggested granting Turkey the requests in exchange for several concessions. These concessions include preventing Russia from circumventing sanctions and making progress on the divided island of Cyprus, a third of which is occupied by Turkey.

Sánchez Amor added another condition on the last day of his mission in Turkey, which included meetings with opposition groups. 

He explained to reporters in Istanbul that this condition is "refraining from using an aggressive, threatening, gratuitous, and easy language."

Sánchez Amor stated, "You (Turkey) are completely isolated. Your only real friend is Azerbaijan."

Turkey has been a candidate for European Union membership since 1999. 

However, progress on the file has been frozen since 2018 due to European concerns about Turkey's human rights record and its foreign policies.

AFP