The EU wants a close partnership with Turkey, but it only works on the basis of shared values, says Weber, who emphasizes that it is then not possible to use the judiciary as a political weapon.
Erdogan's Turkey has taken the wrong path, he says.
Manfred Weber is the group leader of the Christian Democratic conservative party group EPP in Brussels, where the Swedish Moderate Party and the Christian Democrats are members. He is also the vice chairman of the governing German CDU's Bavarian sister party CSU.
Only a few days before Ekrem Imamoglu was arrested and massive protests broke out in Turkey, the EU Commission had announced new talks with Turkey for deeper cooperation. Now it is reported that discussions are underway on whether the talks should be cancelled.
The member states decided last year that relations with Turkey should be strengthened given the developments in the Middle East and the country's long-standing role as a buffer zone in migration to the EU.
