EU: calls for improving EU-Turkey ties, not just migration

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Fontelles at a press conference in Brussels, Belgium on 9 December 2019 [Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency]

The EU’s relationship with Turkey cannot be limited to just migration, the EU’s foreign policy chief said on Friday.

The questions of migration and financial aid are an important part of ties between Turkey and the EU, but there are many other aspects to be improved, Josep Borrell told a press conference after a videoconference of EU foreign ministers.

Turkey has been one of the main country which has been welcoming Syrian refugees –
Cartoon [MiddleEastMonitor]

Borrell was tasked in March to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, to find ways to improve the implementation of the 2016 EU-Turkey deal on migration.

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“Despite the coronavirus, I am in touch with my colleague and friend, the minister of foreign affairs of Turkey,” said Borrell, adding that both sides “are in continuous discussion to look for a solution.”

The EU’s diplomatic service is also supposed to deliver a report on future prospects for the agreement, but Borrell declined to offer a preview.

But last week, Borrell told journalists that the assessment would cover the topics of visa liberalisation and updating the Customs Union, two areas in the 2016 deal where Turkey has complained of broken EU promises

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