European Union cuts funds for Turkey

The bloc will contract the so-called <x0fond before the upgrade” for Turkey at 105m euros (124m euros) and suspend an additional 70m euros in the 2018 budget, the statement said Saturday.

Ankara has the right to receive 4.45 billion euros from the EU between 2014 and 2020 under “Pre-membership Assistance Tool”, reports “Alzeera”, Periscopi broadcast.

The EU Council and the European Parliament, the bloc's two legislative institutions, have yet to formally adopt the new budget.

“Linked to Turkey, European deputies agreed they would cut pre-accession funds by 105m euros (with an additional 70m euros in commitments put in reserve), as they consider the concern of worsening the situation in terms of democracy, rule of law and human rights,” the European Parliament's statement, referring to its members as MPs.

Many of the EU member states have been condemned by Turkish government arrests and cleanups by tens of thousands of people after a failed coup attempt in July 2016.

Local and international rights groups have accused the government of using the coup effort as a pretext to silence the opposition in the country.

The government has said the sweeps and bans are aimed at removing from state institutions and other parts of the society of Fetullah Gulen supporters, a US-based religious leader, in which Ankara blames the coup effort./Periscopi/