Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan demanded over the weekend that the EU “must admit Turkey” as a member state to prove that it rejects “Islamophobia.”
Erdogan was in the African Islamic nation of Djibouti, where he delivered remarks on a range of foreign policy issues, reported Hurriyet Daily News.
The Turkish Islamist leader had harsh words to say towards the Egyptian government, which overthrew the country’s Muslim Brotherhood, a strong ally of Turkey’s. The “coup-makers” in Egypt killed “3,000 Muslims,” he alleged. “It is unprecedented in recent history,” Erdogan said of the Egyptian government’s actions against the country’s Muslim Brotherhood terror branch.
Regarding the Syrian refugee situation, Erdogan said, “We host 1.7 million Syrians. We spent $5.5 billion dollars so far,” while criticizing the international community for not supposedly doing their fair share.
“It is not important whether they (EU) accept us or not. We keep up with our work. We are testing Europe,” the Turkish president said.
He added: “Will Europe be able to digest and to accept Turkey, whose people are Muslims? If you oppose Islamophobia, then you must admit Turkey into the EU.”
If Europe rejects Turkey as a European Union member, their status as an Islamophobic “Christian club,” remains an unquestionable reality, Erdogan asserted.
“Turkey is included in NATO, OECD… and why don’t you admit it into the EU,” he asked, before promising that “Turkey is a strong country now and it will not come to the EU’s door to beg” for membership in the union. He concluded, “If Turkey is accepted, it will be a member. If they reject it, then it will make its own way.”
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