Austria calls for EU’s swift change of policy on Turkey

Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz has called for a swift change of the European Union’s policy vis-à-vis Turkey as Ankara widens its crackdown on dissent.

Kurz said on Monday that Turkey has continued to defy the EU’s repeated calls for a softer approach towards issues like human rights and opposition, noting that the EU should hold Ankara to account for a massive crackdown that followed the July 15 coup attempt.

"In Turkey, opposition figures are being arrested, journalists are being persecuted, officials are being fired if they think differently and the return of the death penalty is being talked about,” Kurz said.

“Over recent years, Turkey has moved further and further away from the EU, but our policy has remained the same. That can't work. What we need are clear consequences,” he added.

The Austrian top diplomat also urged his EU counterparts to put the issue of Turkey on the top agenda of their meeting next Monday, saying the EU foreign ministers have to agree on a “different EU policy” toward Ankara.

Kurz said one way of bringing Turkey to account would be for the EU to stop the flow of billions of euros in aid if Ankara fails to comply with the refugee deal with the bloc, which was reached in March.

Under the deal, Turkey agreed to receive any refugee landing on the coasts of EU member Greece in return for a series of privileges, including accelerated talks for its membership to the bloc, visa-free travels for Turks to Europe and three billion euros (USD 3.3 billion) in assistance for processing and relocation of refugees.

“This does not correspond to the situation in Turkey and as a result this policy must be changed,” Kurz said, adding that stopping the funds “is the logical consequence... It is quite clear that this money will not flow if Turkey does not stick to its side of the deal.”

On Sunday, Austrian Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil called on EU governments to abandon the deal with Turkey and try instead to fortify their borders in the face of the refugee influx. Doskozil and European counterparts were to discuss the issue later on Monday in a meeting in eastern Austria and in Sarajevo, Bosnia, on Tuesday for a second day.

The EU has harshly criticized Turkey’s massive post-coup crackdown which has seen more than 35,000 people arrested and more than a hundred of thousands fired from their jobs. Turkey has defended the measure, saying it will continue the hunt for every single person linked to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based cleric who is accused by Ankara of orchestrating the coup attempt.

Turkey has also cracked down on thousands over alleged links to Kurdish militants operating in its southeast. The authorities on Friday detained nine lawmakers from Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party, including its co-leaders. The arrests sparked renewed condemnations from the West as the EU governments called for an immediate release of the MPs.

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