The European Parliament’s main groups said Tuesday they will vote to freeze membership talks with Turkey because of the crackdown. Turkey and the EU had agreed to speed up membership talks after both sides reached a deal in March to curb migrant flows towards the European Union. But the process has stalled after the failed bid by a rogue group in the army to bring down the Turkish government. The mass arrests and job dismissals as well as measures against Turkish media in the ensuing crackdown triggered a sharp reaction from EU politicians and rights watchdogs. Erdogan however remained defiant, saying on Wednesday that: “Those hands raised up and down (in the parliament vote) will not interrupt this country’s fight for its independence and future.”He said the vote was an indicator of the fact that the EU took the side of “terror organizations.” AFPAFP/CC

Source: Manila Times November 23, 2016 08:56 UTC