‘EU divided, inward looking, drifting away from values’

ANKARA

Turkish foreign minister on Wednesday said “EU is today divided, inward looking and drifting away from values.”

Mevlut Cavusoglu attended Ascendant Europe meeting during the 50th World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“Attended Ascendant Europe Meeting. EU is today divided, inward looking and drifting away from values. It should abandon discriminatory, populist and protectionist policies. To regain power, it should adopt its core values such as democracy, free market and multiculturalism,” he said on Twitter.

Cavusoglu also attended Diplomacy Dialogue on Syria meeting and shared views on “establishing calm in Idlib, progressing the work by Constitutional Committee and facilitating safe, voluntarily and dignified return of refugees,” he said in another Twitter post.

The Syrian Constitutional Committee -- made up of opposition, civil society, and regime members -- began its work on Nov. 20 in Geneva with the UN facilitation.

The committee is mandated within the context of a UN-facilitated Geneva process to prepare and draft for popular approval of constitutional reforms paving the way for a political settlement in Syria.

On Nov. 25, the Assad regime delegation left the talks on the first day of the second round.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people are believed to have been killed and millions more displaced by the conflict.

Turkey and Russia agreed in September 2018 to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Since then, more than 1,300 civilians there have been killed in attacks by the regime and Russian forces as the cease-fire continued to be violated.

Over 1 million Syrians have moved near the Turkish border due to intense attacks over the last year.