'Europe should not turn the page with Erdogan without actual democratic reforms' - Kati Piri

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken about his desire to turn over a new leaf with Europe, but that might not happen without repairing the damage he’s done to Turkish democracy. <br /><br /><br />Last November was when Erdogan first showed any openness to improving relations with the European Union (E.U), stating “We see ourselves nowhere else but in Europe.” In a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on January 10, the two discussed improving relations in what the E.U President called a “good exchange.” Among the topics covered according to a readout from Erdogan’s office was a discussion on how to move forward on Turkey’s stalled bid to join the bloc. <br /><br /><br />Behind any negotiations about improving relations is deep disagreements over the state of Turkish democracy after two decades under Erdogan.<br /><br /><br />In December, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Turkey must release opposition leader Selahattin Demirtas from custody over what it considered politically-motivated terrorism charges. A year earlier, the ECHR also ordered the release of civil society activist Osman Kavala from custody on similar grounds, but Erdogan has refused in both cases to respect either ruling. <br /><br /><br />Kati Piri, a member of the European Parliament from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), does not believe that Erdogan should be obliged to his “new leaf” if that means ignoring his continued erosion of human rights in Turkey.<br /><br /><br />“I do not understand how Ankara thinks it will reset the agenda with the European Union,” Piri tol Ahval in a recent podcast interview. “They know what they have to do in order to reset relations, but I haven’t seen any of that seriously examined in Turkey.”