Erdogan: Turkey still committed to EU membership despite bloc’s failed promises

Erdogan: Turkey still committed to EU membership despite bloc’s failed promises
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a meeting to announce judiciary reforms in Ankara on Thursday, May 30, 2019. (Presidential Press Office/Reuters)
Updated 30 May 2019
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Erdogan: Turkey still committed to EU membership despite bloc’s failed promises

Erdogan: Turkey still committed to EU membership despite bloc’s failed promises

ANKARA: Turkey maintains its commitment to a full European Union membership even though the bloc has not kept its promises, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday, a day after an EU report criticized Ankara on its judiciary and economic state.
Announcing a number of judiciary reforms in Ankara, Erdogan said they would effectively ban only “problematic” sections of websites instead of imposing a full access ban.
Online encyclopedia Wikipedia has been blocked in Turkey since 2017 over a law that allows authorities to ban access to websites deemed a threat to national security.
Erdogan also said Turkey remained committed to its “zero tolerance” policy on torture — two days after an Ankara lawyers’ group said five foreign ministry personnel reported they had been tortured and mistreated in custody.