Ties with Europe were strained after the coup, given the West's alarm about the scale of the government crackdown that followed. He also said he would approve, "without hesitation" the death penalty, if parliament voted to bring it back -- a move that would effectively end Turkey's bid to join the European Union. I look at what Ahmet, Mehmet, Hasan, Huseyin, Ayse, Fatma and Hatice say," he said, to cheers from a flag-waving crowd. He also warned against reinstating the death penalty. "If Turkey were to introduce the death penalty, the Turkish government would finally slam the door to EU membership."

Source: bd News24 July 16, 2017 13:07 UTC