Christian Kern’s depiction of Turkey’s EU accession talks as a “diplomatic fiction” evokes far-right rhetoric, the country’s European affairs minister said Thursday.
“It’s disturbing that [the Austrian chancellor’s] statements are similar to those of the far right,” Ömer Çelik told reporters in Ankara, Reuters reported. “Criticism is surely a democratic right but there has to be a difference between criticizing Turkey and being against Turkey.”
Kern on Wednesday said Austria would “start a discussion” about ending the negotiations with Turkey at a European Council meeting on September 16.
“We are all well advised to now say we’re pressing the reset button,” said Kern, adding that “the democratic standards are clearly not sufficient to justify [Turkey’s] accession.”
Ankara has come under pressure for its crackdown on opponents following a failed coup last month.