Erdogan: Turkey can hold its own referendum for EU membership

Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the EU doesn't want Turkey to join the 28-member bloc because it's a "Muslim-majority country" and he is now considering holding a referendum on whether to continue with efforts to join the bloc.



Angrily lashing out at the EU’s treatment of Ankara, the Turkish leader said: "We can stand up and ask the people just like the British are doing.



"We would ask: 'Do we continue the negotiations with the EU or do we end it?'



"If the people say 'continue', then we would carry on."



Turkey first applied for associate membership in 1963, signing an agreement aiming for its accession into the EU.



Ankara formally applied for membership in 1987 and began accession talks in 2005.



But progress has been extremely slow, with Turkey far from reaching the 72 required benchmarks for EU membership.



Speaking yesterday, Mr Erdogan asked the EU: "Why are you stalling?"



In the build up to Britain's referendum on its EU membership, Vote Leave campaigners have warned millions of Turks would come to the UK if it stayed in the bloc.



But David Cameron has refuted this argument, saying Turkey joining the EU is "not remotely on the cards".