Türkiye Calls on EU to Resolve Membership & Visa Liberalisation Issues

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, has met with the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, in Ankara.

During the meeting between these two officials, the accession of Türkiye to the EU and visa liberalisation were some of the main topics discussed, with Turkish authorities calling on the bloc to take measures to resolve the ongoing issues as soon as possible, Schengen.News reports. 

While Türkiye considers the EU an important partner, Minister Fidan put the blame on the bloc for the obstacles that the country has been facing on its path to EU membership. 

In his introductory remarks, Minister Fidan said that in the past, some European leaders have used the accession of Türkiye into the EU as a tool for their own domestic politics, leading to geostrategic losses for both Türkiye and the EU.

Taking this into account, the Minister stressed that Türkiye now expects the EU to present a new plan whose aim is to strengthen the accession perspective of Türkiye. 

At the same time, he recalled once again that the entry of Türkiye into the EU would be of interest to both parties. 

Kallas shared the same opinion, saying that Türkiye is a strategic partner for the EU.

Türkiye Wants EU to Speed Up Visa Liberalisation Talks 
In addition to the above-mentioned, Minister Fidan also called on the EU authorities to increase their efforts regarding visa liberalisation. 

He said that it is very important that both parties start working on this issue as well alongside the EU membership.

Turkish authorities have been calling for some time now on the EU authorities to reach a visa liberalisation agreement and make it easier for Turkish nationals to reach the EU member states. 

Currently, all passport holders of Türkiye need to hold a valid Schengen visa in order to be permitted entry into the EU/Schengen Area. 

The visa liberalisation agreement is very important for this nationality as it would give the right to Turkish nationals to enter the bloc for short stays without having to undergo the visa application process.

Source: https://schengen.news/turkiye-calls-on-eu-to-resolve-membership-visa-liberalisation-issues/