Turkish Pres. threaten to back off from EU accession talks

ANKARA, March 25 (KUNA) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday his country may have a Brexit-like referendum on whether to continue the accession process with European Union after its referendum on constitutional changes.
Turkey could review its ties with the EU after the April 16 referendum, he said at the Turkish-British Tatlidil Forum in southern Antalya province.
Addressing the British representatives at the gathering, he said: "You have made a decision with Brexit, there may be different things after April 16." "We have a referendum on April 16. After it, we may hold a Brexit-like referendum on the EU negotiations. No matter what our nation decides, we will obey it," Anadolu Agency (AA) quoted him as saying. The EU had turned into a playground of fascist political parties, he said, criticizing the Swiss government over a rally held earlier today in Bern by supporters of terrorist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) targeting him and Turkey.
Approximately 250 supporters of the terrorist PKK, the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front (DHKP-C - a Turkish Marxist-Leninist party) and the People's Protection Units (YPG - a Kurdish armed group) took part in a rally in front of the Federal Parliament building, located in Parliament Square in Bern.
The Swiss police did not intervene against the banner, which had a photo of Erdogan, a gun pointed to his head and said "Kill Erdogan" on it.
"Here is the Swiss Parliament, extreme terrorist organizations put my photo there - pay attention, it is the parliament - with a gun on my head," he said.
"There is no such an understanding. How does something like that happen? It is Switzerland. There are many like it," Erdogan went on. He stressed that the European politicians should leave their "bad manners" towards Turkey as soon as possible. "It must be known that there is a limit to [Turkey's] patience with the attitude that European countries show us," he added. Turkey applied for EU membership in 1987 and opened the accession talks in 2005. However, the negotiations hit a stalemate in 2007 because of Turkey's position on the Cyprus issue.
In addition, Germany and France are still opposed Turkey's full EU membership.
Along with Erdogan, the Forum, being held on March 24-26, gathered, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, Deputy PM Mehmet Simsek and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, and, from the United Kingdom, Prince Andrew - Duke of York, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan.
The sixth annual gathering is co-chaired by Reha Denemec - senior advisor to Turkish President, and Jack Straw, foreign secretary under former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. (end) rs.gb