Turkish FM Çavuşoğlu slams Austrian Chancellor's remarks on Erdoğan
Turkish FM Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has slammed Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz after the latter said that the European Union must stand up against blackmails from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. "The major threat to the EU and its values is the distorted ideology represented by Sebastian Kurz," Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on Sept. 5 slammed Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz for his remarks on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
"The major threat to the EU and its values is the distorted ideology represented by Sebastian Kurz," Çavuşoğlu said on Twitter.
"These ugly politics based on xenophobia, racism, and Islamophobia is the sickly mindset of our age," Çavuşoğlu wrote.
The Turkish minister's remarks came after Kurz accused Erdoğan of using the migrants on the Turkish soil as a "weapon" against the European Union during an interview with German daily Handelsblatt, Euronews reported on Sept. 5. Kurz also said that Erdoğan was using the Turks in Europe for his own ends.
“If Europe lets Turkey to blackmail it, this is a very problematic situation. I want a united European Union that takes an action with determination,” Kurz reportedly said during the interview.
Meanwhile, Kurz shared the interview on his Twitter account with the following statement: “The EU must not allow itself to be blackmailed or threatened by Turkey and President Erdoğan. Rather, it needs full solidarity with Greece and proper protection of the EU external borders.”
In March, Turkey told millions of migrants and asylum seekers on its soil that it will not stand in the way if they want to leave the country. As thousands of desperate people flocked toward the Greek border, clashes erupted with Greek security forces wanting to hold them back.