Turkey–European Union relations

At least 137 irregular migrants were held by security forces across Turkey on Aug. 28.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Aug. 21 that his country would not be able to cope with an "additional burden of migrants" arriving from Afghanistan.

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"A new wave of migration is inevitable if the necessary measures are not taken in Afghanistan and in Iran," Erdoğan said during a telephone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The Turkish president on Aug. 22 talked with the EU Council president over the phone, saying Turkey cannot handle an additional migration wave.

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Germany should work closely with Turkey to address a potential new refugee influx from Afghanistan, Chancellor Angela Merkel reportedly told a closed-door ruling party meeting on Aug. 16. 

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According to Bild daily, Merkel made the remarks during an executive committee meeting of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

Germany's envoy in Turkey said on Aug. 4 that he was "pleased" that bilateral relations between Turkey and Germany are "extremely close and trusting."

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"Our political relations are extremely close at all levels of government and covering also non-governmental organizations," Jurgen Schulz told reporters in the Turkish capital Ankara.

North Macedonia has spent two years resisting Turkey's demands for the handover of Turkish nationals it accuses of ties to 'terrorism'. But Ankara is not giving up.

“Article 2 of the treaty states clearly that the third state has to share the democratic values of the EU & has to have good neighbourly relations with the EU”

Closer economic cooperation with Turkey is a beneficial step for the European Union, a Hungarian top diplomat has said, noting that the union needs closer and stronger cooperation with Ankara if it wants to be economically strong.

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German Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 22 reiterated her opposition to Turkey's full membership in the European Union but voiced support for closer ties with Ankara by updating the EU-Turkey Customs Union and a key refugee agreement.

The Turkish foreign minister on July 8 met with his Finnish counterpart and discussed bilateral and regional issues as well as EU-Turkey relations.

Speaking at a joint news conference after their bilateral meeting, Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Finland's Pekka Haavisto underlined the importance of EU-Turkey relations to counter common challenges.