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Turkey dismisses 'insignificant' EU parliament vote to freeze talks

The European Parliament's motion was approved by 479 votes to 37, with 107 abstentions.

Istanbul: Turkey on Thursday dismissed a European Parliament vote backing a freeze in accession talks with Ankara as having "no significance" and lacking vision.

"It is insignificant from our aspect," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said in a televised speech.

"The EU should understand and decide whether it wants to shape its future vision with or without Turkey," he said, urging EU leaders to speak out against what he termed a "lack of vision".

The European Parliament's motion was approved by 479 votes to 37, with 107 abstentions.

The decision hit the embattled Turkish lira -- boosted by a rate hike earlier in the day -- to leave the currency losing 1.05 percent against the dollar on the day.

The non-binding decision comes amid heightened tensions between Turkey and the EU as Brussels slams Ankara's crackdown in the aftermath of the July failed coup bid.

Almost 37,000 suspects have been placed under arrest, and tens of thousands lost their jobs since the July 15 putsch attempt, blamed by the Turkish government on a rogue element in the military to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Erdogan on Wednesday said the vote was worthless and accused Europe of taking the side of "terror organisations".

The vote comes on the same day at least two people were killed when a car bomb blew up outside a local government building in southern Turkish city of Adana.

Turkey's EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik, ruling party MP from Adana, said: "I would not comment on such a day about the European Parliament's decision, which lacks vision."

He dismissed the vote as "null and void" and not to be taken seriously, speaking to reporters in Adana.

The minister branded the vote as an "undemocratic" and "narrow-minded" decision.

Top EU lawmakers last week cancelled a visit to Turkey after Ankara refused to see one of the MEPs because of her criticism of the government's response to the failed coup.

In comments published last weekend, Erdogan said Turkey should not be fixated on joining the EU and suggested once again the idea of joining up with Russia and China in a Eurasian security group -- the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

( Source : AFP )
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