GETTY Turkey is still a candidate to join the EU

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EU diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini praised the “frank and constructive” talks held in Brussels yesterday, while warning that there was some way to go before an agreement could be reached on the stalled candidacy. She said: “Clearly Turkey is and stays a candidate country. “Many of our colleagues prefer to focus on the red lines. I prefer to focus on what we have in common.

“We have raised what is very important for us, which is not so much to hear during our dialogue, but to see concrete steps in the field of rule of law, human rights, democracy, media freedom.” Formal membership talks began in 2005 and despite negotiations grinding to a virtual halt, they are still formally continuing. EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik said: “Many countries say they do not like the idea of new chapters being opened but the core of relations with the EU revolves around accession.

Turkey LGBT march: Shocking pictures as police fire rubber bullets at supporters Sun, June 25, 2017 Transgender people and supporters try to march in central Istanbul as part of the Trans Pride Week 2017, which is organized by Istanbul's 'Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transvestites and Transsexuals' (LGBT) solidarity organization Play slideshow REUTERS 1 of 14 Riot police use rubber pellets to disperse LGBT rights activists as they try to gather for a pride parade in central Istanbul

“The March migrant deal emphasised this. If there is a problem on the rule of law then the answer is to open the chapters to discuss it.” Ankara has insisted on its right to detain and prosecute “so-called journalists” and “so-called human rights activists” on anti-terror grounds. The EU and Turkey have clashed since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s post–coup crackdown where 50,000 judges, police officers, soldiers, academics, and journalists have been arrested.

Turkey's top diplomat Mevlut Cavusoglu said: “We have not seen enough support from the EU over the coup. Nobody can say there is no law in Turkey. “There are those journalists, soldiers, politicians who helped the coup attempts last year. They need to also face the sentences that are necessary.” EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who oversees membership talks claimed he needed to see “a reversal of the trend” towards authoritarianism.

GETTY The Turkish diplomat defended his governments actions since the attempted coup

GETTY The EU affairs minister said Turkey helped the EU regarding migrants