Erdogan: Turkey Still Committed to EU Membership Despite Bloc’s Failed Promises
by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff
Turkey maintains its commitment to a full European Union membership even though the bloc has not kept its promises, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, a day after an EU report criticized Ankara on its judiciary and economic state.
Announcing a number of judiciary reforms in Ankara, Erdogan said they would effectively ban only “problematic” sections of websites instead of imposing a full access ban.
Online encyclopedia Wikipedia has been blocked in Turkey since 2017 over a law that allows authorities to ban access to websites deemed a threat to national security.
Erdogan also said Turkey remained committed to its “zero tolerance” policy on torture — two days after an Ankara lawyers’ group said five Foreign Ministry personnel reported they had been tortured and mistreated in custody.