"It's foreseeable that some things won't be able to be implemented by July 1, namely visa freedom because the conditions are not yet fulfilled," Merkel said on Monday following her meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul.
At issue is the Turkish parliament's recent decision to strip some lawmakers of immunity, which critics have said was a step meant to sideline pro-Kurdish politicians.
At least 138 parliament members are accused of using their immunity to support the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), an armed group the government accuses of "terrorism".
Merkel said that she voiced her concern to Erdogan over "the decision to withdraw immunity from every fourth lawmaker in the Turkish parliament", which she said is something "that causes deep concern".
- The German leader also said that Turkey needs an "independent" judiciary and media.
Turkey is obliged to meet a list of 72 criteria -- ranging from biometric passports to respect for human rights -- that were set when Brussels and Ankara first talked about 90-day visa-free travel to the Schengen area.
In exchange for the visa deal, Turkey has agreed to to fulfill the most controversial issue on the list: Taking back refugees, who used its territory as a springboard for reaching Europe.
But Europe has insisted that Turkey also implement a series of other reforms regarding freedom of the press and judiciary first.
"The questions I had in this connection have not been fully cleared up," Merkel said...
[aljazeera.com]
23/5/16
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Related:
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