Vula Tsetsi, Co-Chair European Green Party:
"We are calling for the General Affairs Council on 26 May and the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Cyprus on 27-28 May to urgently address the situation in Turkey.
The EU must move beyond statements and make decisions regarding this candidate country. It must assess the consequences of the systematic dismantling of the democratic opposition, including political parties and elected parliamentary representation, under Erdogan. This cannot be allowed to undermine the EU’s democratic commitments. It is time for action, and agreement on concrete measures.
This issue goes beyond Turkey; it undermines the EU’s credibility as a defender of democracy, weakens its enlargement policy and diminishes its strategic influence in the region."
Ciarán Cuffe, Co-Chair European Green Party:
"The targeting of opposition figures and elected representatives marks a serious escalation in Turkey’s democratic decline and a deterioration in human rights.
It is a clear move towards an authoritarian regime with grave consequences for democracy in Turkey and for the EU’s credibility as a defender of democracy. Turkey cannot be exempt from democratic standards, the rule of law, and respect for political freedoms."
