Turkey's relations with the European Union have reached their lowest point in recent times, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has said.

His comments came after a leading European human rights body placed Turkey back on a watchlist over concerns about the functioning of democratic institutions in the country.

Mr Yildirim told reporters Turkey would decide on what steps it would now take regarding the decision by the Strasbourg-based Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The 47-member based council placed Turkey on the watchlist over the ongoing crackdown on dissent since last year's coup attempt, rights violations and concerns about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's increased grip on power.

Turkey's president Recep Erdogan wins referendum to greatly expand powers

While the Council is separate from the European Union, the vote is likely to be a further setback to Turkey's bid to join the EU.

Relations with the EU soured even more during a referendum campaign this month on granting Mr Erdogan more powers, during which he accused Germany and the Netherlands of acting like Nazis by banning Turkish political rallies.

The Council of Europe applies its monitoring scheme to all countries when they join, but this was the first time it has been reopened against any member of the body, which includes Russia, Ukraine and all 28 EU member states.

In a resolution, the assembly — made up of parliamentarians from the various member states — voiced concern over Turkey's sweeping dismissal and detention of civil servants, judges, prosecutors and academics following the botched coup, as well as the closure of independent media and non-governmental organisations.

The vote to open the procedure against Ankara passed with 113 votes in favour versus 45 against. The assembly called on Turkey to swiftly lift the state of emergency and free jailed lawmakers and journalists.

In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People demonstrate in front of the Republic Monument at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters

The EU has already said Turkey's EU negotiations will cease should Mr Erdogan reinstate death penalty, as he has indicated he might, and the EU official responsible for negotiations with potential new member states has called for a new format of relations with Turkey.

Some EU officials hope that, even if it came to formally aborting Turkey's EU bid, the bloc could re-energise talks on trade with a Nato ally whose cooperation is vital in dealing with the unprecedented flow of refugees from the Middle East.

Others, however, say progress would be hard without a breakthrough in talks on reuniting the island of Cyprus.