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EU criticizes DTP but warns closure could affect representation
While critical of the party's failure to separate itself from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the United States, the commission said providing political representation to citizens was essential to Turkey fulfilling its democratic mandate. "The commission regrets that the DTP has continuously refused to clearly distance itself from the PKK and to condemn terrorism," Amadeu Altafaj Tardio, a spokesman for the European Union's executive commission, told a news conference.
“On the other hand, the decision of the Constitutional Court might deprive a significant segment of Turkish voters from political representation, a necessary condition for the successful outcome of the democratic opening,” he said.
The court voted on Friday to disband the DTP, dealing a fresh blow to Turkey’s hopes of joining the 27-country EU. It found the DTP guilty of cooperating with the PKK. The verdict plunged the country into political unrest, with deputies from the party threatening to quit Parliament, a move that could force new elections in Kurdish districts. The DTP is the only Kurdish party represented in Turkey’s Parliament.
The European Union’s Swedish presidency expressed concern on Friday over the court decision and said it would continue to monitor further developments closely.
“While strongly denouncing violence and terrorism, the presidency recalls that the dissolution of political parties is an exceptional measure that should be used with utmost restraint,” the presidency said in a statement.
EU-member France on Monday issued a separate statement on the issue, highlighting its “commitment to pluralism and [the] importance of democratic debate within a parliamentary framework.”
Paris will closely follow the results that may stem from the Constitutional Court’s verdict, the statement by the French Foreign Ministry said, adding: “France condemns terrorism under all circumstances. It voices the importance of the democratic initiative launched by the government and encourages all parties to proceed on this path.”
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