EU joint declaration marks significant 1st step in bloc’s relations with Türkiye: Turkish deputy minister

By Busranur Koca

ANKARA (AA) - Türkiye’s deputy foreign minister and director for EU affairs said Monday that a joint declaration prepared by the European Commission and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Türkiye-EU relations marks a significant first step in bilateral relations.

Mehmet Kemal Bozay said discussions have taken place at both bilateral and multilateral levels with the EU and EU member countries to facilitate and expedite visa applications for groups such as businesspeople, academics, students, artists and media professionals, according to Turkish diplomatic sources.

"This is highly likely to happen as some progress has already been made. For example, in some places, they have reduced the application and appointment processes from three to four weeks to two weeks,” he said.

"We have taken note of the Borrell report. The call from our president to revitalize relations with the EU in Vilnius has been effective in the stage of the EU making an assessment regarding Türkiye, and this is reflected in the report,” Bozay added, referring to Borrell’s declaration.

Bozay further said that the implementation of the recommendations in the report would be a significant first step in Türkiye-EU relations.

He also indicated the expectation for all EU institutions to take rapid and concrete steps in this direction.

Bozay noted that expectations were conveyed to the EU side in meetings at the ministerial level including the Foreign Ministry, Trade Ministry and Industry and Technology Ministry both in terms of technical teams and official discussions regarding the modernization of the Customs Union

"We expect technical negotiations to start unconditionally, and we expect the Commission to be authorized for this,” he said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had a phone conversation on Dec. 12 with Oliver Varhelyi, the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, where the results of the EU General Affairs Council on expansion and the EU Summit on Dec.14 and Dec. 15 were discussed.

Fidan had reminded that concrete steps from the EU were expected soon in areas such as updating the Customs Union, increasing cooperation in the investment field and providing visa facilitation.

*Writing by Esra Tekin in Istanbul