As parliament discusses bill, fierce words on Turkey's EU quest
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Debates yesterday over an upcoming Ombudsmanship Bill before the Turkish Parliament set the stage for some fierce arguments between MPs and government ministers over Turkey's EU aspirations. Standing to address his counterparts in the parliament's main chambers, CHP MP from Istanbul, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, said "We must stand honorably before the EU.
Leave off the bending down on your knees, the bowing and sraping. There is nothing that they (the EU) have ordered which we have not done. And as we continue to fulfill their requests, they will continue to request. And they will never take us into the EU as we continue this way. There has never been an administration that made this many concessions....Let's enter into the EU with our honor intact."
Replying to Kilicdaroglu's complaints, AKP Interior Minister Abdulkadir Aksu said "I am surprised at your comments. Have we opened our ports? We are just now getting organized on issues which we should have taken care of before. But this is not because the EU wants, but instead because it is what the country needs, what our people need. As the Prime Minister says 'If they don't take us, they don't take us, but, inshallah, they will take us.'"