Turkey in no position to become EU member any time soon: Juncker

Reuters
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, listens during to a speech during the 11th EU-China Business Summit at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Wednesday, July 13, 2016. REUTERS/Ng Han Guan/Pool

PARIS (Reuters) - Turkey is in no position to become a European Union member any time soon and all negotiations for it to join will stop immediately if it reintroduces the death penalty, EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Monday. Turkish authorities have suspended, detained or placed under investigation more than 60,000 soldiers, police, judges, teachers, civil servants and others since a failed military coup. "I believe that Turkey, in its current state, is not in a position to become a member any time soon and not even over a longer period," Juncker said on French television France 2. He said that a country that included the death penalty in its legislative arsenal had no place in the European Union. (Reporting by Geert De Clercq; Editing by Andrew Heavens)