European Union–Turkey relations

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said he will seek the removal at a summit with the EU on Monday of all obstacles to a stalled membership bid, which the bloc however believes are of Ankara's own making.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says membership in the European Union remains a "strategic goal" for his country.

Erdogan was speaking Monday before departing for the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Varna to attend a likely arduous Turkey-EU summit meeting.

The European Union holds an uneasy summit with Turkey on Monday, when it is likely to provide Ankara with fresh cash to extend a deal on Syrian refugees but deflect Turkish demands for deeper trade ties and visa-free travel to Europe.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on March 20 praised Turkey for sticking to an EU-Turkey refugee agreement in countering irregular migration and improving the living conditions of Syrian refugees.

Turkey will ask the European Union about the remainder of 3 billion euro ($3.69 billion) funding granted for Syrian refugees living in Turkey during the meeting in the Bulgarian city of Varna next week, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.

Turkey has strongly criticized the European Union for not keeping the promises it made to Turkey through a comprehensive migrant deal brokered in 2016, calling on the bloc to transfer 3 billion euros to be spent on Syrian refugees directly and without any delay. 

Turkey has fulfilled its obligations regarding a 2016 deal signed between Turkey and the European Union to curb the flow of irregular migrants, Turkey’s EU Affairs Ministry has said on its official Twitter account on the second anniversary of the deal.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke over the phone on March 15 to discuss bilateral and Turkey-EU relations and regional issues, according to diplomatic sources.

"Suppose I am Donald Tusk. What advice would you give me on Turkey? What kind of stance should the EU adopt to reverse the democratic backsliding in Turkey? Should the EU close the doors or should it engage with Turkey?" I asked these questions to Bulgaria's former President Rozen Plevneliev late last month, Hurriyet reported.

Bulgaria has so far accepted 10 migrants from Italy and 50 from Greece under EU quotas, according to latest European Commission data, quoted by BTA. From Turkey there are no Syrian refugees accepted in our country, and our country has committed to shelter 160 people.