site.btaEU Commissioner Marta Kos Voices Strong Concern Over Situation in Turkiye

Addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos voiced the European Union’s strong concern regarding the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu and said that she is cancelling upcoming visits to Turkiye due to the ongoing events there.

The arrest of an elected official and leading opposition representative, immediately after he announced his intention to run for president of the country, raises fundamental questions. Democratic principles and values should firmly take root in Turkiye, said Kos during the debate, which was focused on the situation in Turkiye following the arrest of Istanbul's mayor, which sparked mass protests in the country.

Imamoglu was detained on March 19. On March 23, the court kept him in jail pending his trial on corruption charges at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality which led to his temporary removal from office. On the same day, March 23, the Republican People's Party nominated Imamoglu as their presidential candidate for the upcoming elections, which are scheduled to take place in 2028. The arrest of Istanbul's mayor led to mass protests in major cities in Turkiye, which resulted in clashes with the police and hundreds of people being detained.

Kos stressed that because of what happened in Turkiye, she has cancelled her participation in the diplomatic forum in Antalya which will take place from April 11 to 13 and will not go to Ankara to confer with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

The EU Commissioner for Enlargement said that as a candidate country for EU membership and a member of the Council of Europe, Turkiye is expected to apply the highest democratic standards and practices, including regarding freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, and free and fair elections.