FM Çavuşoğlu Calls EU: It is Just Schengen

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Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu ha reiterated that they will not revise the Anti-Terror Law that needs to be revised for visa waiver, and said “We will never give into such imposition”.

“It is just a visa you will grant”, added Çavuşoğlu.

“Visa waiver imposition”

FM Çavuşoğlu came together with NGOs from Turkey and businesspeople at the dinner last night (May 16) following the Libya-themed Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting held in Vienna, the capital city of Austria.

According to the state-run Anadolu Agency, Çavuşoğlu spoke as follows:

“In an environment in which we fight PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) terror organization and DAEŞ (ISIS), saying that ‘you will revise the terror law or we won’t actualize the visa waiver’ means to support terror.

“We will not be deterred by that. I am underlining this; we will not give into such imposition”.

“Like you are granting membership…”

“Are you granting us membership, you are already obstructing it. What you will grant is just visa-free travel Schengen. This is already the right of our citizens.

“The EU granted visa waiver to the candidate countries with which it didn’t start the negotiations. Isn’t that right of the citizens of Republic of Turkey that is in negotiations? So, are you bestowing your favor?

“What you will grant is just a visa, like you are granting membership”.

Genocide meeting

Çavuşoğlu said he spoke to Austrian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sebastian Kurz as to the applications in Austria in 2015 with regards to 1915 Armenian Genocide:

“I told him this: Are we as Turkey taking any decision about Austria’s past? No. Then how dare you attempt to take a decision about Turkey’s history? How do you find this duty in yourselves?” (AS/TK)