Turkey Has Been Waiting at the Doors of the European Union for 52 Years: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that his country has been waiting at the doors of the European Union for 52 years and is ready to give the necessary response when the time comes.

“We have been made to suffer at the EU's doors for 52 years. They continue to do the same,” Erdogan said, promising that Ankara will respond, “when the time comes.”

The agency notes that Turkey signed an association agreement with the EU in 1963 and officially declared its desire to become a member of the Union in 1987. However, negotiations for Turkey's EU membership only began in 2005, and the process has been interrupted multiple times due to disagreements between the parties.