EU Referendum: President Erdogan says Turkey should hold Brexit-style vote on accession bid

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has suggested his country should hold a Brexit-style referendum on its accession process to join the European Union. He made the comment as the UK votes on whether it should continue to stay in the EU or leave.

"We can stand up and ask the people just like the British are doing," Erdoğan said in a speech on 22 June, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency.

"We would ask, 'Should we continue the negotiations with the European Union or should we end them?' If the people say 'continue,' then we would carry on," he argued.

The leader also alleged the EU does not want to accept Turkey as a member state because it is a "Muslim-majority country."

Turkey has been an associate member of the European Economic Community (EEC), now EU, since 1963. The country applied to accede in 1987.

Negotiations to join the EU started in 2005, but the process has been stalled as some EU members, such as Austria and Germany, oppose Turkey's membership bid.

Although the UK supports Turkey's quest, Prime Minister David Cameron recently sparked criticism after claiming that the country is unlikely to be admitted any time soon.

Among other things, those who back Turkey's accession claim the country is a key regional power with a large economy. On the other hand, critics argue that Turkey is still an underdeveloped economy whose government is not in line with European-style democracy.