Turkish FM Çavuşoğlu: EU Parliament head's statement a new example of the bloc’s hypocrisy
European Parliament President David Maria Sassoli released a statement on Nov. 20 listing the issues that he said he had discussed with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu during their meeting in Brussels. Çavuşoğlu however reacted against Sassoli's statement, accusing him of sharing the content of their meeting in a "distorted" way.
Duvar English
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has slammed European Parliament President David Maria Sassoli after the latter released an official statement and shared a tweet as to the content of what they discussed in their meeting in Brussels. Çavuşoğlu accused Sassoli of sharing the content of their meeting in a “distorted” way.
“His [Sassoli’s] sharing topics that he could not say to may face is a new example of the EU’s insincere and hypocrite attitude. I am appalled that the person who represents the European peoples shares the content of the meeting held at the EU institution in a distorted way,” Çavuşoğlu wrote on his Twitter account.
Çavşoğlu held a meeting with Sassoli in Brussels on Nov. 20. The Turkish minister is there to take part in the NATO Foreign Ministerial Meeting.
After meeting with Çavuşoğlu, Sassoli shared the content of their meeting on the website of the European Parliament.
“This morning, I had a frank exchange with Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. I reiterated the EU’s strong condemnation of the Turkish military intervention in northeast Syria. This is a grave violation of international law, which undermines stability and security in the region,” read Sassoli's statement.
“I also raised the issue of Turkey’s continued illegal drilling activities in the eastern Mediterranean. We stand in full solidarity with Cyprus, regarding the respect of its sovereignty and sovereign rights in accordance with international law."
"I stressed that the European Parliament continues to pay the utmost attention to addressing the ongoing humanitarian and refugee crisis. This includes full support for those Member States that face the most serious challenges in terms of migratory flows in the Eastern Mediterranean. I also made clear that it is completely unacceptable to use people fleeing war and persecution for political gain or to pressure the EU."
“We both agreed that dialogue is essential to address the many challenges we have in common, such as migration and the fight against terrorism.”
Sassoli also tweeted the content of his meeting with Çavuşoğlu, saying that his followers could read the full statement on the European Parliament’s website.