In the wake of strong criticism by the Italian Prime Minister Draghi, who called President Erdogan a dictator, Jean Asselborn voiced his concerns. He is worried about the direction Turkey is taking, as it is heading straight towards autocracy and therefore is not ready to deepen relations with the EU.
However, Asselborn reminded of the importance of words. He prefers to describe the Turkish president as an 'autocrat'.
Having been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2004, Jean Asselborn, has made a harsh assessment of Turkey's evolution since the opening of accession negotiations with Ankara in 2005, to which he contributed. He assured that his analysis is shared by several of his EU counterparts.
The regime has flouted fundamental rights, marginalised the Kurds and silenced those who do not think like it, argued Asselborn. In addition, the government denied women the protection of the Istanbul Convention that was voted in 2011 by the Turkish parliament.
Such actions have alerted the foreign minister, who warned that the European Union must not make the political mistake of talking about a customs union and visas for the time being. He believes that Turkey still needs the EU's economy to stay strong.
The EU cannot give visas to Turkish businessmen for trade while accepting the ongoing violence against women, he said.
The EU and Turkey are seeking to renew their relations after a year of tensions. EU leaders decided in March to respond to President Erdogan's desire for appeasement with a gradual, conditional and reversible resumption of cooperation with Turkey.
An analysis of the situation will be submitted to a summit in June. Announcements could then be made concerning the modernisation of the Customs Union and the resumption of the high-level dialogue suspended in 2019 on certain subjects such as security, the environment, health, and the granting of certain visa facilities for Turkish nationals.
Jean Asselborn insisted that if Erdogan does not change, the EU cannot accept a rapprochement. However, he also warned that ties must not be cut with Turkey, because not all Turks think like Erdogan and accept his policies.
