Turkey’s Erdogan has all but squashed his country’s chances of joining the European Union after a series of outbursts against Germany and The Netherlands. On Sunday, Erdogan held a rally and blasted the EU, revealing the “real reason” why his country has not yet been made a member of the bloc. Erdogan did NOT hold back!

The Hurriyet Daily News reports:

A meeting last week between EU leaders and Pope Francis in the Vatican is evidence that Europe’s most important union is a “Crusader Alliance” and was consequently avoiding admitting Turkey as a full member, Turkey’s president has said, declaring that the upcoming referendum on charter changes will also stand as a vote on Ankara’s ties with Brussels.

“All the leaders of the EU countries went to the Vatican and listened to the pope submissively. Do you now understand why they have not been taking Turkey into the EU for 54 years? The situation is quite loud and clear, it is a Crusader Alliance. April 16 will also be the day to evaluate this,” President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at a rally in Ankara on April 2.

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Erdoğan referred to a meeting between Francis and the leaders of all EU countries on March 24, a day before a special summit marking the 60th anniversary of the bloc’s founding treaty. Francis addressed EU leaders and delivered messages on the future of the union.

“I turned out to be right on what I have been saying [about the EU],” Erdoğan said. “They have been lying to us in a row for 14 years. And they keep on lying.”

Turkey will go to a referendum on April 16 to decide on an 18-article constitutional amendment package that will overhaul the entire governance system into an executive presidency model that abolishes the office of the prime minister.