TURKEY: Defiant Erdogan attacks EU, backs restoring death penalty

President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday defiantly stepped up his attacks on the European Union, saying Turkey had to go its own way and vowing to bring back the death penalty if parliament passed it. At the opening ceremony of a memorial dedicated to the roughly 250 people who died in last year’s failed coup, Erdogan […]

President Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday defiantly stepped up his attacks on the European Union, saying Turkey had to go its own way and vowing to bring back the death penalty if parliament passed it.

At the opening ceremony of a memorial dedicated to the roughly 250 people who died in last year’s failed coup, Erdogan accused Brussels of “messing about” with Turkey’s decades-long bid to join the bloc.

The speech in the early hours of Sunday wound up a marathon session of public appearances by Erdogan in both the capital and Istanbul overnight to mark the anniversary of last year’s defeated coup.

“The stance of the European Union is clear to see … 54 years have passed and they are still messing us about,” he said, citing what he said was Brussels’ failure to keep promises on everything from a visa deal to aid for Syrian migrants.

“We will sort things out for ourselves. There’s no other option.”