Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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50. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has written to or spoken to President Erdogan of Turkey; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28788/18]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Presidential and parliamentary elections took place in Turkey on Sunday 24 June.

The preliminary conclusions of an OSCE/Council of Europe International Election Observation Mission are that voters had a genuine choice, despite the lack of conditions for contestants to compete on an equal basis. They said the incumbent President and his party enjoyed a notable advantage and that this was reflected in excessive coverage by government-affiliated public and private media. The Observer Mission also found that the restrictive legal framework and powers granted under the state of emergency limited fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression, including in the media.

The re-election of President Recep Tayyip Erdoðan in the first round should be officially confirmed later this week and it is expected that the President will be formally inaugurated on 8 July.

Neither the Taoiseach nor I have been in contact, in writing or in person, with President Erdogan.

The European Union’s relationship with Turkey was considered at a meeting in Luxembourg last week of the General Affairs Council. The Council re-affirmed the importance it attaches to its relations with Turkey as a key partner and said the EU remains committed to maintaining an open and frank dialogue with the country. The Council noted that Turkey’s co-operation with the EU in the area of migration, by implementation of the EU-Turkey Statement, has saved the lives of many of those undertaking dangerous crossings in the Aegean Sea.

But the General Affairs Council also found that Turkey has been moving away from the European Union and that accession negotiations have, therefore, come to a standstill. Concerns were expressed about backsliding on the rule of law and fundamental rights and measures targeting journalists, academics, members of political parties, parliamentarians, human rights defenders, social media users and others exercising their fundamental rights and freedoms. No further chapters will be considered for opening or closing in the accession negotiations and no further work towards the modernisation of the EU-Turkey Customs Union is foreseen.