Accession of Turkey to the European Union

Turkey's Presidential Security and Foreign Policy Committee convened on March 4 with Turkey-EU relations and counter-terrorism on the agenda.

The committee's weekly meeting convened under the chairmanship of presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalın at the Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara.

A renewed relationship between Turkey and the European Union will be in the mutual interest of both sides in line with the positive agenda adopted in the recent EU Council meeting, Italy's ambassador to Ankara has said, underlining that reforms to be announced soon in the field of rule of law will be welcomed by the EU.

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the chairman of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), has called on the EU to revive Turkey's long-stalled full membership process while expressing his regret to observe that Turkey was only mentioned in the context of the foreign policy matters in Brussels.

Turkey told Germany to immediately launch talks for the renewal of the 2016 migrant deal between Ankara and Brussels ahead of the EU Council meeting in late March.

The European Union welcomes the Turkish government's recently announced reform agenda, a senior diplomat said on Feb. 4 while visiting Turkey's central province of Kayseri. 

France stands ready to engage in a deep and important dialogue with Turkey after months-long tension, the French ambassador to Turkey has said, stressing that a recent exchange of letters between the two presidents paved the way to bring bilateral ties to a more normal level.

A positive agenda adopted by the EU Council in December is in the mutual interest of both Turkey and the European Union, the German envoy in Ankara has said, stressing that Brussels was open and ready for talks with Turkey to develop relations further and resolve existing conflicts.

Turkey and the European Union were set to discuss the renewal of a 2016 migration agreement during a meeting late on Jan. 21, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said ahead of the meeting.

Turkey and the European Union must take concrete steps in order to maintain a recent positive atmosphere between them, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday, adding there was political will on both sides for a positive agenda.

Turkey and the European Union have started the year positively and steps to restart talks with Greece over hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean are welcome, but the EU remains concerned about human rights, the bloc's top envoy said on Thursday.