Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz criticized the European Union at an event in Ankara where projects jointly financed by the bloc and Türkiye were touted, in the wake of a report calling for sanctions for Türkiye’s justice minister, which was voted on by the European Parliament on Wednesday.
Unlike the tone of the report, the remarks of Yılmaz were kinder but not without pointed barbs. He highlighted Europe had two faces. “One is a European Union guaranteeing lasting peace and the second is a bloc where narrow-minded interests are prioritized, cultural isolationism, xenophobia and far-right are on the rise. The second one is not the Europe we want to be a member of,” Yılmaz said.
Türkiye has sought accession to the 27-nation bloc for decades, only to see its bid stalled time after time for a wide variety of reasons. For every stage of progress in the membership process, Ankara faced a major obstacle, often the result of antagonism by some members of the bloc towards Türkiye.
The European Parliament report suggested sanctions against Türkiye, particularly Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, former chief prosecutor of Istanbul who tackled major corruption cases against the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) before he was appointed as minister in February. The report adopts the exact narrative of the CHP, which claims the cases are politically motivated. Since the widespread corruption allegations emerged in 2024 and later at the municipalities, particularly the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (IBB), the CHP has sought support from Europe, with its former leader Özgür Özel contacting EU lawmakers and penning articles implying a request for assistance to support the CHP in future elections.
After the report was approved, the Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement and accused the assembly of relying on misinformation, ideological bias and unfounded allegations while attempting to undermine the improving momentum in Türkiye-European Union relations.
Yılmaz said Türkiye-European Union relations should be developed on the basis of the EU acquis and unbiased assessment, “rather than perception, debate, populist discourse.”
“The European Union should apply the same criteria for other candidate countries. However, due to narrow-minded viewpoints of some countries, membership chapters have not been opened for years. The reports on the accession process contain criticism, but what the EU should do is clear. They should advance in membership stages and check whether Türkiye complied with the criteria. If there are differences, they can be resolved through joint work,” he said.
“Unfortunately, from time to time, we witness an environment where the political atmosphere in Europe will not allow advances in the membership process no matter how much Türkiye fulfills criteria. We should end this together,” he added. Yılmaz noted that since 2002, Türkiye has worked on more than 3,000 regulations for compliance with EU rules and regardless of membership, it would continue to do so for the benefit “of our own nation.”
Read the full article at Daily Sabah →📄Source document: European Parliament Report
3 reports
Daily SabahParty-alignedLeft3 days agoTurkish Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz criticized the European Union during an event in Ankara, responding to a recent European Parliament report that recommended sanctions against Turkey's Justice Minister Akın Gürlek. Yılmaz accused the EU of having 'two faces'—one promoting peace and the other driven by narrow interests, cultural isolationism, and rising far-right sentiment. He expressed disappointment with the EU's stance toward Turkey's long-standing bid for EU membership, which has repeatedly been stalled. The European Parliament report aligns with the narrative of the opposition CHP,which
Bias read (Left): The article frames the EU's actions as driven by narrow interests, cultural isolationism, and far-right tendencies, while portraying Turkey's position as more just and peaceful. This framing emphasizes criticism of the EU and supports Turkey's perspective, indicating a left-leaning bias.
Official sources cited
- government European Parliament Report
- organisation Republican People's Party (CHP)
Daily SabahParty-alignedCenter7 days ago Türkiye’s AK Party slams EP member over sanction threatTürkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) criticized Slovenian European Parliament member Vladimir Prebilic for suggesting Justice Minister Akın Gürlek be placed on an EU sanctions list. The AK Party called Prebilic’s comments 'politically backward' and compared him to a 'colonial commissioner.' Gürlek responded via social media, stating that any reports of his inclusion in sanctions lists were 'political texts' and that targeting Türkiye’s judiciary was a futile effort against national will and sovereignty. AK Party spokesperson Ömer Çelik reiterated criticism of Prebilic’s言论,
Bias read (Center): The article presents statements from both the AK Party and the European Parliament member without overtly favoring one side. It includes direct quotes from both parties and does not employ loaded language or one-sided sourcing.
Official sources cited
- statement Ömer Çelik
- statement Vladimir Prebilic
- statement Akın Gürlek
Hurriyet Daily NewsParty-alignedRight7 days agoTurkish Justice Minister Akın Gürlek criticized a draft European Parliament report that calls for sanctions against him, describing the report as ideological and biased.
Bias read (Right): The article presents Gürlek's perspective without counterpoints or balanced context, implying criticism of the European Parliament's stance without providing opposing viewpoints or evidence of bias from the Parliament itself.
TR