‘EU must fix pro-terror laws’

Erdogan wants visa-free travel for Turks to EU by October ‘at latest’

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused European nations on Tuesday of being safe havens for the political wings of terrorist groups and said it was a “black comedy” for Europe to be lecturing Turkey on changing its anti-terrorism laws.

The European Union last week asked member states to grant visa-free travel to Turks in return for Ankara stopping migrants reaching Europe, but said Turkey still had to change some legislation, including bringing its terrorism laws in line with European Union standards.

In a speech in Ankara, Mr Erdogan said the European Union should change its own laws on terrorism first and said he hoped Europe would live up to its promise on visa-free travel by October at the latest.

“European countries continue to be safe havens for the political extensions of terrorist groups. When this is the case, it’s a piece of black comedy that the EU criticises our country over the definition of terrorism,” he said.

“First of all, we expect EU countries to fix their own laws that support terrorism.”

Mr Erdogan’s criticism of the European Union will be a blow to any hope in European capitals that it might be business with usual as Turkey after Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who negotiated the migration deal with Europe and had largely delivered on Turkey’s commitments so far, announced last week he was standing down.

President Erdogan also said he wanted the European Union to grant Turks visa-free travel to the passport-free Schengen area by October at the latest.

“The promise that was made was for the month of October this year,” Mr Erdogan said in a televised speech.

“I hope they will keep the promise that they made and close this issue by October at the latest,” he added.

To win visa-free travel, Turkey must still meet five of 72 criteria the European Union imposes on all states exempt from visas, one of which is narrowing its legal definition of terrorism.

Visa-free travel is for many Turks the biggest benefit of Ankara’s migration deal with the European Union. Europe, meanwhile, is counting on Turkey to maintain an agreement that has helped stem the flow of refugees and migrants via Turkish shores, which saw more than a million people reach Greece and Italy last year.