Turkish president Erdoğan suggests referendum on EU for Turkey

Turkey: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has suggested that a referendum on whether or not Turkey should continue with its plan accession to join the European Union should be conducted.

 In light of the ongoing Brexit referendum to decide if the UK should continue to be part of the EU or not, Erdogan stated that such measure could be adopted. 

“We can stand up and ask the people just like the British are doing,” Erdoğan said in a speech on Wednesday June 22 at a fast-breaking dinner.

“We would ask, ‘Should we continue the negotiations with the European Union or should we end them?’ If the people say ‘continue,’ then we would carry on,” Erdoğan said.

Erdogan accused the EU of bias for not willing to accept Turkey as its member because it is a “Muslim-majority country.”
Erdoğan said Turkey had been guaranteed membership since 1963 but that despite more than over half a century gone, nothing had happened yet. “Why are you stalling?” he asked.

Turkey and Belgium signed an agreement for the first time in 1963, maintaining that Turkey would aim to become a member of the body.
Turkey began EU accession talks in 2005.