You’re getting warmer.

Via RT:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Europe doesn’t want his country to join the EU because the majority of the nation’s population is Muslim. He said his government will ask the public whether negotiations with Brussels should continue.

“Europe, you don’t want us because the majority of our population are Muslim…we knew it but we tried to show our sincerity,” Erdogan said at a graduation ceremony in Istanbul on Wednesday, as quoted by Reuters.

The comments were made on the eve of Britain’s historic ‘Brexit’ vote, in which UK citizens will decide whether to remain part of the EU.

Referring to Britain’s vote, Erdogan stated that Turkey could also hold a referendum on the EU.

“We will go and ask the public whether we should continue negotiations with the EU,” Erdogan said.

His comments come as European populist leaders and campaigners supporting Britain’s exit from the EU warn of creeping Islamization and ill consequences if Turkey ever joined the bloc.

Talks on possible EU membership for Turkey have been taking place since 1963, when Ankara and Brussels drafted an association agreement stating the country would aim to be a member of the bloc. After formally applying in 1987, Turkey began accession talks in 2005. However, Turkey has since made little progress to meet the necessary criteria, despite a flurry of early reforms.