MEP Fidias Panayiotou explained why he voted against the European Parliament's report on Turkey, addressing both his approach to abstention and the European Union's broader approach to its relations with Ankara.
Panayiotou addressed his vote on the European Parliament's report on Turkey, explaining that he chose to vote against it because, as he said speaking to a journalist, he disagrees with its core direction.
The Cypriot MEP said that, in his view, abstention is not always an effective stance, arguing that in several cases a clear position through a vote in favour or against is preferable.
As part of his argument, he compared the report to a "married woman who goes with other men and lies to you, but wants to keep working together, wants to stay married, so I think that's a bit contradictory."
At the same time, he stressed that he does not consider it right to strengthen EU-Turkey cooperation without tangible progress on the Cyprus problem. As he said, he believes this approach reflects a policy of "double standards," especially compared with the sanctions imposed on Russia. Specifically, he pointed to the fact that the EU has adopted 20 sanctions packages against Russia, at a time when, as he put it, deeper cooperation is being pursued with Turkey.
The MEP acknowledged that the report contains positive elements, as well as points that condemn actions by Turkey. However, he disagreed with the part that promotes further strengthening of relations with Ankara, noting that this was why he could neither vote in favour of it nor choose to abstain. Concluding, Panayiotou stressed that he wants the Cyprus problem to be directly linked to EU-Turkey relations, arguing that any discussion of further cooperation should only proceed after a solution to the Cyprus problem.
