Turkey’s continued state of emergency is of “serious concern,” the European Commission said in a report assessing the state of the largely stalled accession talks between the bloc and Turkey.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey and the EU began accession talks in 2005, however, relations have grown increasingly strained following a failed coup-attempt in Turkey leading to the declaration of a state of emergency, which according to the EU is undercutting human rights and the freedom of expression.

“The broad scale and collective nature, and the disproportionality of measures taken since the attempted coup under the state of emergency, such as widespread dismissals, arrests, and detentions, continue to raise serious concerns,” the EU said.

The EU also warned that the 31 decrees taken under the state of emergency had “serious shortcomings,” adding that “the serious backsliding” on the freedom of expression continued, suppressing critical voices.

The commission stopped short of recommending officially freezing the accession talks, even as the negotiations have largely stalled with no new negotiating chapters being opened since June 2016.

In a statement, the Turkish foreign minstry rejected the criticism, saying “the report is far from understanding the realities of Turkey and thus far from serving its purpose.”

The statement also noted that Turkey “is fighting simultaneously against several terrorist organizations,” among them the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Islamic State.

“In spite of all the negativity in the EU’s approach, EU membership continues to remain our strategic priority,” the Turkish foreign ministry statement added.

On Tuesday, Turkey’s Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said the government cabinet followed a recommendation from the National Security Council and plans to extend the country’s state of emergency by three months, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The current state of emergency is set to expire on Thursday.

If Turkey’s parliament approves the three-month extension, as expected, its completion would bring the duration of emergency rule in Turkey to two years.

NAN