Turkish FM sees positive steps in ties with EU

Turkey is a guarantor of security of the European Union’s borders, said Mahir Unal, spokesman and deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Turkish media reported March 26.

The meeting in Varna (Bulgaria) between Donald Tusk, President of European Council, Jean-Claude Juncker, his counterpart in European Commission, and Erdogan was born without content, but European leaders considered better strategy to cultivate dialogue With Ankara to interrupt it.

Turkey first gained European Union candidate status in 2005 but has failed to make any significant progress over the last 13 years as Erdogan has lurched towards an authoritarian style of governing and worsening relations with the West.

Speaking to reporters on February 23, Borissov said that the Varna meeting will be “a heavy experience … loaded with expectations and tensions”.

“If the terrorist organization is not cleared from here, then we will have to do this together with the people of the region”, Erdogan added.

On January 18, nearly two months after the start of the Operation Olive Branch, the Ankara-backed Free Syrian Amy (FSA), together with the Turkish Army troops managed to completely take over Afrin in northern Syria, forcing the remaining Kurdish forces affiliated to People’s Protection Units (YPG) to retreat further to the east toward Manbij.

The current stalemate in Turkey-EU relations seems unlikely to be resolved in the foreseeable future, let alone in one summit.

“We now expect strong support (from the EU) on sensitive issues such as the fight against terrorism instead of rambling and unjust criticism”, Erdoğan said.

Brussels has repeatedly criticised the post-coup crackdown, which has seen almost 160,000 people detained, including dozens of journalists. Turkey, for its part, accused Brussels of failing to show solidarity after the coup and appears set on forging a strong partnership with President Vladimir Putin’s Russian Federation.

European Union leaders cited these geostrategic interest as common ground for greater cooperation with Turkey, despite differences.

“We won’t give these terrorist youth the right to study at these universities”, said Erdogan, according to the Associated Press.

“We encourage Turkey to work with the Council of Europe, of which Turkey has been a member longer than most EU Member States”.