The Party of European Socialists (PES), as the second largest political family represented in the EU, supports the opposition’s joint presidential candidate Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu’s pledge to complete the reforms required for Türkiye’s visa liberalisation process with the EU.
Kılıçdaroğlu, who is the leader of the PES associate member party CHP (Republican People’s Party) in Türkiye and the unity candidate for six opposition parties in the upcoming presidential election, pledged to swiftly fulfil the remaining benchmarks to complete the Visa Liberalisation Roadmap to grant visa-free travel for Turkish citizens.
The PES has always supported the efforts of the democratic opposition in Türkiye to fight for democracy, rule of law and human rights – vital aspects which can bring the country closer to European values and back on the track of the EU accession process.
PES Executive Secretary General Giacomo Filibeck said:
“Ahead of Türkiye’s decisive elections next Sunday, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, CHP and the united opposition represent a beacon of hope for democracy, human rights, freedom, cooperation and bringing Türkiye closer to Europe.
“It is in this spirit that we are pleased to count on the CHP and on Kılıçdaroğlu’s leadership to continue progressing towards the achievement of the remaining – and very critical – criteria for the visa liberalisation. For us European social democrats and progressives, Türkiye is a crucial partner. We support all steps that can bring the country closer to the fundamental values that we share.”
The PES disagrees with the comments of the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, a prominent AKP figure, who has said it is impossible to swiftly accomplish the visa liberalisation criteria for Turkish citizens. This reflects a clear lack of vision and knowledge on the European Union policy and processes. It was President Erdogan and his authoritarian style that pushed the country away from European values and completely stalled the accession process.
To be granted visa-free access to the Schengen area, the EU has asked Türkiye to meet 72 criteria. To date, the country has only met 67 of these criteria, with five essential criteria still to be met. Among the remaining criteria that are necessary to complete, Türkiye needs to adopt measures to prevent corruption, align legislation on personal data with EU standards, conclude an operational cooperation agreement with Europol, and offer effective judicial cooperation in criminal matters to all EU Member States.
Türkiye’s upcoming presidential and general elections, scheduled for 14 May will be decisive for long-time President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his ruling party AKP.
Kılıçdaroğlu’s united opposition campaign is built on promoting democracy, human rights, the rule of law and the European agenda after years of increasingly centralised power under Erdoğan.
The PES has always supported the struggle of its Turkish associate member parties CHP and HDP for democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Türkiye. The PES has protested against a series of unlawful detentions of opposition figures and journalists and organised numerous missions to support the wrongfully jailed political prisoners. We also welcome presidential candidate Kılıçdaroğlu’s pledge on the full enforcement of the European Court of Human Rights rulings in his government. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu is clearly committed to transform Turkiye into a strong European democracy.
