Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in New York Tuesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said "ties between the two countries were improving".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on 16 September that Ankara could “part ways” with the EU if necessary, following the release of a European Parliament report rejecting the possibility of Turkiye joining the EU soon.

The report instead suggested the EU explore “a parallel and realistic framework,” such as a customs union, to determine its ties with Ankara.

Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer has urged the EU to acknowledge that Türkiye does not stand a chance of ever becoming a member of the bloc. He emphasized the need to discontinue the stagnant accession process while suggesting that Brussels explores alternative avenues to deepen its relationship with Ankara.

In an interview with Germany’s Die Welt newspaper published on Tuesday, Nehammer said: “We are for further convergence between Ankara and Brussels, but Türkiye’s full membership in the EU is not imaginable for us.”