The European Union report to be published in the coming days states that there is no foundation left to continue accession talks with Turkey.

Excerpts from the most recent progress report on Turkey by the European Union expected to be published in the coming days have been published on the weekly German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

The report states that there is no foundation to continue accession talks with Ankara.

There is a section in the report that says, Ankara “has experienced serious stepbacks on the areas of justice, rule of law, fundamental rights and freedom of expression,” and “is diverging from the European Union greatly”.

The report also stresses that for any advance in the accession talks in the future, the state of emergency in place since July 2016 must be lifted, and mentions that 150.000 people have been taken into custody, 110.000 public workers have been dismissed from their jobs, and that there are 150 journalists, writers and rights defenders among the detainees.

KURDISH ISSUE

The report calls the Kurdish issue “one of the most grave issues the country is facing”. The report also reiterates the EU’s stance against the PKK and demands Turkey to employ “proportionate violence”.