Anyone who says Turkey is European country wants EU’s death, says Sarkozy

"It's not just that. What's the idea behind Europe? Europe is a union of European countries. The question is very simple, even in a geographical sense, is Turkey a European country? Turkey has only one shore of the Bosphorus in Europe. Can Turkey be regarded a European country culturally, historically, and economically speaking? If we say that, we want the European Union's death,” he said.

“From that standpoint, if we talk about Turkey's accession, let me tell you that in many ways Russia is a much more European country than Turkey.”