Turkey 'fed up' with condescending attitude in EU talks

Turkey is "fed up" with the condescending attitude of the European Union in the country's accession talks with the bloc, foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a news conference with his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Cavusoglu said there were legal cases against 4,500 members of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Germany but only three of them had been sent back to Turkey.

He also said it was up to the Turkish people to decide on the question of reinstating the death penalty, a move which would likely bring an end to the country's accession process.

In a separate comment in a speech to members of his ruling AK Party in parliament broadcasted live on television, which coincided with Steinmeier’s official visit, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the European Union should decide between Turkey or its enemies, adding that Brussels should not expect Ankara to change its anti-terror laws.

Relations between Turkey, a candidate for EU membership, and Brussels have been strained following an attempted coup in July

 European leaders are worried that Ankara is using the failed putsch as a pretext to clamp down on dissent. Turkey, meanwhile, has been angered by what it sees as a lack of solidarity following the coup.

Yildirim is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin during a visit on 5 and 6 December, Reuters reported, citing prime ministry sources.

Russia and Turkey, a NATO member, are backing opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.

In recent months they have been normalising ties that broke down a year ago when Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the border with Syria.