EU-Turkey relations

BRATISLAVA - Bringing the EU perspective closer to the Western Balkans would reduce the nationalist rhetoric there, says Slovak FM Miroslav Lajcak.

The European Union should continue accession negotiations with Turkey but a reintroduction of the death penalty would clearly put an end to the process, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on May 31.

A process of reconciliation between Turkey and the European Union to end months of tension is a political - rather than a romantic - necessity, Turkey's EU minister has said, recalling that both parties are aware of the inextricable relationship between Ankara and Brussels. 

Turkey "wants to leave tension with the European Union behind," but the focus of dialogue with the bloc should be on the axis of opening new accession chapters, government spokesperson and Deputy PM Numan Kurtulmuş has stated. 

Turkey and European Union will focus on upgrading Customs Union and the migrant deal, according to an agreed 12-month road map on the bilateral ties, with the first gathering to be held on June 13 for political dialogue meeting at the level of political directors which will study course of relations, Hürriyet writes.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent visit to Brussels was positive because both Turkey and the EU decided to maintain dialogue, said retired ambassador Ünal Çeviköz. 

Turkey and the European Union are set to focus on upgrading the Customs Union agreement and a migrant deal, according to an agreed 12-month road map on bilateral ties, with the first gathering to be held on June 13.

Turkey and the European Union have agreed on a 12-month calendar on the future of Turkey's accession bid, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on May 25 while returning to Turkey from meetings with the bloc's top executives and leaders of the European powerhouses.

The EU conducted some studies before the meetings, Erdoğan told journalists.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met the European Union's top officials, along with the leaders of the powerhouses of the bloc in Brussels, in a bid to revive the country's bid for membership in the EU in the wake of a period of highly tense relations.

EU leaders Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on May 25 in an effort to rebuild ties amid tensions over Turkey's EU accession and human rights.

Juncker, who heads the European Commission, and Tusk, who heads the European Council of 28 EU member state leaders, met the Turkish president ahead of a NATO summit in Brussels.