'Turkiye's goal of EU membership not about blind love'

Turkiye’s path towards European Union membership is not a matter of “blind love,” the nation’s top diplomat in charge of relations with the bloc said on Tuesday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

Saying that Turkiye’s goal to join the EU “is a matter of interest and sovereignty,” Deputy Foreign Minister, Faruk Kaymakci, added that joining is not an option, but a necessity.

If Turkiye aims to protect its sovereignty and interests at a higher level, it can do so by becoming a member of the EU and by being part of the decision-making mechanism, he told a virtual meeting hosted in Konya, central Turkiye.

“Turkiye wants to become a full member of the EU. This is important to us,” he stressed.

Read: Turkey calls on EU, international community to protect refugees amid Greece push back policies

Noting that Turkiye boasts one of the largest economies in Europe, with a significant historical and geographical background, Kaymakci said: “We have to be in this decision-making process. For us, it’s not an option, it’s a necessity.”

Turkiye, a candidate for EU membership since 1999, began its accession talks with the bloc in 2005.

In recent years, its candidacy has been stalled, with no new chapters opened in the accession talks. Turkiye blames the lack of progress on a biased EU attitude as well as unfair political blockades by EU members, such as Southern Cyprus.

Read: Turkiye says it will not abandon Palestinian support for closer ties to Israel