Juncker says Turkey death penalty is "red line" issueMarch 20, 2017 - 12:10 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker has warned Turkey that any return of the death penalty would be a "red line" in the country's stalled EU membership bid, RTE says. "If the death penalty is reintroduced in Turkey, that would lead to the end of negotiations," he told Sunday, March 19's edition of Germany's Bild newspaper, calling it a "red line". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he expected parliament to approve the restoration of capital punishment after next month's referendum on controversial consitutional changes to expand his powers. Juncker nevertheless said he was opposed to a complete halt to all membership negotiations with Turkey. "It makes no sense to try to calm (Erdogan's) nerves by stopping negotiations that are not even taking place." German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel went even further, saying in an interview with Der Spiegel: "We are farther away than ever from Turkey's accession to the EU." Turkey abolished the death penalty in 2004 and the European Union has repeatedly made clear that any move to restore it would scupper its membership bid. However Turkish ministers say they need to respond to popular demand for the return of capital punishment to deal with the ringleaders of an attempted coup in July. Turkey and Europe are locked in a diplomatic crisis after Germany and the Netherlands blocked Turkish ministers from campaigning for a 'yes' vote in the 16 April referendum, which opponents fear will create one-man rule. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |