ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s prime minister says the European Parliament election results this week strongly indicate the threat of rising racism in Europe.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday the elections have shown that Turkey’s long-expressed concerns about racism and increasing racist attacks in Europe are “legitimate and correct.”

He was addressing members of his ruling party in parliament days after France’s National Front and other far-right parties that are against the European Union and immigration made strong gains in the European Parliament elections. Many of these parties have opposed Turkey’s EU membership bid.

Erdogan said mainly-Muslim Turkey’s EU membership would serve as an “antidote” to racism and anti-Semitism in Europe.

He added: “Europe needs Turkey more than Turkey needs the EU.”

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