Security around Erdogan tight as Brussels braces for NATO talks
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to press the European Union on terrorism, its customs union and Turkey’s accession talks, though Human Rights Watch has called on the EU to prioritize human rights as it renegotiates the existing customs union.
With Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan poised to meet with NATO leaders in Brussels today at the alliance’s yearly summit, local authorities fearing violence between his critics and supporters banned rallies near the Turkish leader’s hotel.
Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur told Belgian television, “We noticed that the Turkish protests became violent recently.” He also touched upon the mayhem unleashed by Erdogan’s security detail in Washington last week. Brussels is home to thousands of Turks and Kurds with sharply differing political views, so clashes were likely.
A rally organized by Erdogan’s supporters in Place Stephanie on Wednesday was canceled by Belgian officials. The crowd was expected to chant slogans in favor of reintroducing the death penalty.
Capital punishment is a red line for the European Union, and EU leaders warn that reinstatement would kill Turkey’s faltering bid for full membership of the Western club once and for all.
