Erdogan: Turkey’s EU application should be shown ‘same sensitivity’ as Ukraine’s

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday called on the EU to show the “same sensitivity” for Turkey’s application to join the bloc as it showed for Kyiv’s membership bid, slamming member states for being “not sincere.”

“Will you put Turkey on your agenda when someone attacks (us) too?” he said, speaking at a news conference in Ankara.

“Turkey has been waiting since the 1960s to join the EU and now the debate on Ukraine has begun. We consider Ukraine’s accession efforts positive. But why is Turkey not a member?”

Erdogan called on Ukraine and Russia to immediately stop fighting and to “contribute to world peace,” adding Ankara was not opposed to NATO enlargement.

NATO member Turkey shares a maritime border with Ukraine and Russia and has good ties with both. Under a 1936 pact, Ankara on Monday said it was closing its Black Sea straits during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, limiting the passage of some Russian ships from the Mediterranean. [Reuters, Kathimerini]