European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has canceled an upcoming visit to Turkey, where she was scheduled to attend a diplomacy forum and meet with Turkey’s foreign minister, in response to the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.
Speaking at a session in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, Kos said she would not attend the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, set for April 11-13 and had also canceled her planned meeting in Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
İmamoğlu, widely seen as President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s strongest political rival, was arrested on March 23 on corruption charges that many consider politically motivated. His detention has sparked widespread protests, the largest in Turkey since 2013, and heightened political tensions.
“The arrest of an elected official and leading opposition figure, immediately after he announced his intention to run for president, raises fundamental concerns,” Kos said.
During the debate, which focused on the “crackdown on democracy in Türkiye” and the arrest of İmamoğlu, Kos talked about the need for democratic principles and values to take firm root in the country.
The commissioner said that as a candidate country for EU membership and a member of the Council of Europe, Turkey is expected to apply the highest democratic standards and practices, including regarding freedom of assembly, freedom of the press and free and fair elections.
Amor: EU membership is about democracy
European Parliament rapporteur for Turkey Nacho Sánchez Amor, who also spoke at the session, said Turkey must align itself with Europe’s values, interests and perspectives if it seeks EU membership.
“Memberhsip is about democracy, partnership can be many other transactional and reversible things,” Amor said.
Addressing a common argument in Turkey’s pro-government media that the country’s military strength could facilitate its entry into the EU — particularly as Europe seeks to bolster its defense capabilities amid geopolitical tensions — Amor dismissed the notion of any shortcuts to membership.
“… being a member of the EU [is] about Demirtas and Kavala and now also about Imamoglu,” he said, referring also to jailed Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtaş and jailed businessman Osman Kavala, who are held in prison on politically motivated charges and not released despite rulings from the European Court of Human Rights in their favor.
Amor suggested that İmamoğlu’s arrest was not only aimed at preventing his candidacy but was also linked to Europe’s growing need for strategic allies in its security framework.
“Erdogan expects a response from Europe less strong than others,” Amor said, accusing the Turkish president of leveraging the EU’s need for Turkey as a security partner to avoid strong condemnation.