Turkey dismisses EU Parliament vote to freeze talks
Ankara criticises vote that calls for a temporary halt to its EU membership talks over the response to failed coup bid. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has dismissed a European Parliament vote calling for a temporary freeze to Ankara's membership talks with the EU as "insignificant". Of the 623 politicians present for Thursday's vote in France's Strasbourg, 479 were in favour of a halt in negotiations over Turkey's "disproportionate" crackdown following July's failed coup attempt . Thirty-seven abstained against and 107 abstained. Yet, the vote is non-binding and EU governments are unlikely to take heed. Shortly after, Yildirim said the outcome had no value and urged EU leaders to speak out against what he termed a "lack of vision". "The EU should understand and decide whether it wants to shape its future vision with or without Turkey," he was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying. Mehmet Simsek,...