BRUSSELS: A
Senior European lawmaker for foreign affairs said on Tuesday the
European Union might have "underestimated" the gravity of Turkey’s failed coup and must pursue
dialogue with Ankara to preserve an agreement on halting the flow of migrants to Europe.
Elmar Brok, the
European Parliament’s foreign affairs chair and a member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, was briefing fellow lawmakers on his visit to
Turkey last week, which came after the summer saw a souring of relations between the EU and Ankara following the failed coup in July.
The EU condemned the coup, but it has also criticised the ensuing *****down by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Tens of thousands have been arrested or sacked in
Turkey for their alleged support for Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, who the Turkish government accuses of masterminding the coup.
Turkey in turn has accused the EU of indifference to the coup and said it might abandon an agreement
with the EU to curtail the flow of migrants from the Middle East and Africa through
Turkey into Europe.
It has also demanded that Gulen, who lives in the United States, be extradited to Turkey.
In addition, Ankara has repaired its relationship
with Russia, complicating its relations
with Washington and the EU .
In one sign of the growing tension, Turkish troops have fired on US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria .
Brok pointed out that during the failed coup, "rockets have actually hit the Turkish parliament ...you have to think of how you’d feel in that situation in the
European Parliament.
Imagine that the French National Assembly or that Westminster were hit by their own army."
"After my visit, I take a different view on some of the Gulen-related issues," Brok said.
"The movement has infiltrated the state, they have acted as a ‘brotherhood’.
There has been a misappraisal of the Gulen movement on our side.
"Brok said the EU must keep the migration deal
with Turkey on track after Ankara threatened to walk away from it should the bloc fail to ease travel rules for Turks in October.
"I certainly did **t get the impression that the Turks were trying to blackmail Europe ...
My impression was that
Turkey intends to stand by the refugee agreement," Brok said. "I think we should step back in rhetoric."
However much
Turkey merits our criticisms ...from our geo-strategic point of view, it’s more important for
Turkey to be on our side than in some else’s camp.
"Brok’s comments come amid a string of
Senior EU visits to
Turkey as Brussels, back from summer holidays, gears up for more negotiations.
The
European Commission, the EU executive, will also report in September on the implementation of the migration deal.
Agreed in March, the deal has helped cut a mass influx of migrants and refugees to Europe.
In exchange for preventing them from setting sail for Europe, Ankara won promises of 6 billion euros in EU money for Syrian refugees living in Turkey, revival of Turkey’s EU membership talks and speedy visa liberalisation.
But visa talks stalled before the summer break as
Turkey refused to reform its anti-terror laws, which the EU says are applied too broadly to stifle dissent.
Ankara says they are key to fighting Islamic State and Kurdish militants. "We have to negotiate ...to adopt a constructive approach in the negotiations," Brok said.
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