Turkish FM claims Brexit possible nonoccurrence in one case

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has expressed the view that the UK would not have left the EU if Türkiye had been admitted to the EU in due time.

"If Türkiye had been in the EU, Brexit would not have happened. The UK would not have left the EU. The EU could have also become a centre of attraction in terms of security," Fidan remarked, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish media.

The UK officially left the EU in 2020 following the 2016 referendum, in which 51.9 per cent of British voters supported leaving the EU.

Fidan also acknowledged the challenges facing Türkiye’s EU integration process, noting, "Closing the gap in terms of EU membership is difficult. This is more about the internal dynamics of the EU member states than it is about us."

The UK voted to leave the EU in 2016 and officially left the trading bloc - its nearest and biggest trading partner - on January 31, 2020. However, both sides agreed to keep many things the same until December 31, 2020, to allow enough time to agree to the terms of a new trade deal. It was a complex, sometimes bitter negotiation, but they finally agreed a deal on December 24. 

The deal contains new rules for how the UK and EU will live, work and trade together. While the UK was in the EU, companies could buy and sell goods across EU borders without paying taxes and there were no limits on the amount of things which could be traded.

By Naila Huseynova