Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu

They were three. Abdullah, Şükrü and Hulusi.

Three young men with big hopes for the future.

All three from Kayseri.

All three had studied in Kayseri's most influential schools.

All three were close to nationalist-religious circles. 

They were good friends.

European Union foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said on April 28 that accession talks with Turkey have not been halted and she still wants it to join, if Ankara can meet necessary conditions.

Alas, the expected has happened. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) decided on Tuesday to reopen the monitoring procedure with Turkey, thereby lowering its level of democracy.

Germany on April 28 urged fellow EU nations not to end membership talks with Turkey because the country is key to European interests.

Austria has led calls for the negotiations to be ditched, saying President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has violated the basic EU rule of law and democratic norms candidate countries must put in place.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu will attend a European Union meeting in Malta on April 28 amid increasing tension between the bloc and Ankara due to the former's criticisms of the deterioration of rights in the problematic candidate country which have been fueled by a referendum that gave President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sweeping new powers.

Turkey has been saying for months that if the EU does not honor its commitment to lift the visa requirement for Turks, as agreed under the deal on illegal migration early last year, then it will default on its commitments under this deal.

Turkey has been saying for months that if the EU does not honor its commitment to lift the visa requirement for Turks, as agreed under the deal on illegal migration early last year, then it will default on its commitments under this deal.

Turkey will increase the duration of visa-free stay for Russian citizens, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said April 23.      

"We are extending the visa-free period for Russians in Turkey from 60 to 90 days," Çavuşoğlu told reporters in the Alanya district of the southern province of Antalya.      

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said he will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on May 16-17 in what will be the leaders' first face-to-face meeting since the latter took office in January.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said the two leaders had agreed to come together before a NATO summit that will take place in late May in Brussels.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has harshly slammed the international observers who participated in Turkey's constitutional referendum on April 16, after including an individual who appeared in a picture behind a flag of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).