Erdogan: Turkey does not need EU at any cost

Turkish President Erdogan delivers a speech during a ceremony at Bestepe National Congress And Culture Centre in Ankara on October 18, 2016. [Raşit Aydoğan/Anadolu]

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Turkey does not have to be “fixated” on the idea of joining the European Union “at any cost”, adding that instead it could join the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) dominated by China and Russia, Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper reported.

“Turkey should first of all feel relaxed about the EU and not be fixated” about joining it, Erdogan told reporters on the presidential plane returning from Uzbekistan.

“Some may criticise me but I express my opinion. For example, I have said ‘why shouldn’t Turkey be in the Shanghai 5?’.”

Erdogan explained he had already discussed the idea with the Russian President Vladimir Putin and with the Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

China and Russia as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan formed the Shanghai 5 in 2001 to face threats of terrorism and drug trafficking from Afghanistan.

Turkey’s opportunities to join the EU seem to be more diminished than ever after 11 years of talks.

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