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Politics

EU membership is no longer Turkey's top priority - Erdogan

The Turkish leader believes that if the European Union continues to reject Turkey, he will lose.

EU membership is no longer Turkey’s main goal, but Ankara is not ruling out the possibility altogether, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on August 16.

“The EU is no longer our priority,” Erdogan said in an interview with Al Jazeera. He said Turkey has not given up on the idea of joining the EU, but it is not a priority at the moment.

The president believes that if the EU continues to reject Turkey, it will be a loss for the union itself.

Turkey has been a candidate for EU membership since 1999. Negotiations on joining the bloc began in 2005, but have now stalled due to various disagreements.

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