Austrian leader: Turkey should not be allowed to join EU

Austrian chancellor Christian Kern has said Turkey should not be allowed to join the European Union.

Austrian leader: Turkey should not be allowed to join EU

Austrian chancellor Christian Kern has said Turkey should not be allowed to join the European Union.

Mr Kern told reporters in Brussels that "we have to bring our relations to Turkey into new order".

He said the EU should "create a new relation to Turkey" encompassing economic, security and migration interests.

Referring to the reported blocking of online encyclopedia Wikipedia and the ongoing purge in Turkey, Mr Kern said it is time "to hurry up because we can't afford to have an unstable country with 80 million citizens close to our neighbourhood".

The EU promised Turkey fast-track membership talks, among other incentives, to stop migrants leaving for Europe.

Talks have moved at a snail's pace since they were launched in 2005.

PA

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