Turkey says it has 'other options' if EU closes its doors to membership

Turkish Prime Minister Yildirim has warned the EU that it has other alternatives to membership in the bloc. Yildirim did not name any options, but critics suspect Turkey could be hinting at closer relations with Russia.

"Turkey always has alternatives. Europe should not forget: too much coyness can make love fed up," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said during a meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

"Turkey has been working for over half a century for its European Union membership and has done more than what it should. Now the decision is the EU's," he added.

Ankara formally launched its bid to enter the EU in 2005. Since then, only 16 chapters of the 35 chapter accession process have been opened.

Talks were sped up in March, when the two sides signed a multi-billion-dollar deal in which Turkey agreed to hold back migrants from Syria and Iraq who were planning to go to Europe. In return, Turkey demanded that its citizens be allowed to visit the Schengen Area without a visa...............

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