Turkey, EU discuss ties ahead of pivotal summit

Turkey has called on the European Union to take concrete steps on the modernization of the customs union and migrant deal ahead of the bloc's pivotal summit later this week where ties with Ankara will be discussed.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke over the phone with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on late June 22, the Presidential Communications Directorate has announced. The conversation came as the EU Council will meet on June 24 and 25 to discuss matters.

"Stating that Turkey had done more than what fell to itself and that it was now the EU's turn to take concrete steps, President Erdoğan noted that it was high time for the implementation of a positive agenda with Turkey," read the statement.

Underscoring that the negotiations to update the Customs Union should immediately begin without any precondition, Erdoğan expressed Turkey's wish for the High-Level Dialogue meetings to be started in a manner to also cover areas of cooperation in public health, climate change, internal affairs, migration and the fight against terror.

The EU Council in March signaled that it might approve the EU Commission to start formal talks with Turkey on the modernization of the Customs Union. There are, however, signs that the EU Council will likely postpone the decision on the Customs Union due to the opposition of Greek Cyprus and Greece.

Erdoğan also highlighted that the ensuring of visa liberalization was a step for which the Turkish people had waited for a long time and recalled the need for strengthening and implementing the migrant deal of 2016 between Turkey and the EU.

Turkey still needs to fulfill six benchmarks for visa liberalization, but it seeks some facilitative moves from the EU.

Turkey and the EU...