Belgium PM ‘Do not Invent New Rules for Turkey’

Verhofstadt insisted that it would be unthinkable to exclude Turkey from the E.U. simply because it is a Muslim country. "I say to those who approach the question of ‘Is there a place for Turkey in Europe’ hesitatingly because of the difference in religion, that we did not build Europe, at any time, on the foundations of religion. We built the European Union on values. We have already been talking to Turkey for 41 years. Now, we should be honest with Turkey, particularly after what the Erdogan government did, and say either ‘Yes’ or’ No’. Our response is ‘Yes’ according to the report."

Verhofstadt stressed that new conditions must not be imposed upon Turkey. He expressed that Istanbul is a part of Europe, and that Turkish and European histories are intertwined. Verhofstadt said that the Istanbul attacks in November were "attacks against Europe".