EU proposes one-year timetable to Turkey to renew ties: Erdogan

The European Union has proposed a one-year timetable to Turkey to renew relations between the two sides, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after returning home from a NATO summit in Brussels, where he met some European leaders.

Turkish media on Saturday cited Erdogan as saying in an interview upon his arrival in Turkey that the new roadmap had been proposed after the two sides agreed on giving a new impetus to relations.

Erdogan said Turkey’s foreign and EU affairs ministries would work towards the timetable, adding that the plan would give a priority to major issues such as visa liberalization for Turks visiting Europe.

Turkey and the EU reached a deal on the relocation of refugees in March 2016. Under the agreement, Ankara was promised to receive benefits including a visa waiver and accelerated talks to join the EU. Turkey has yet to enjoy those benefits even at the very minimum as EU governments have increased their demands, calling on the country to reform its anti-terror laws, which they say are very broad.

Erdogan said he and European leaders had agreed to work together on the issue of visa liberalization.

The Turkish president also commented on the status quo of ties with Germany, the EU’s most powerful country, saying that he had discussed some disputes with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a meeting in Brussels.

Tensions have been high between Ankara and Berlin since a coup attempt in Turkey last July. Germany has harshly criticized Turkey for a crackdown that unfolded following the coup and affected hundreds of thousands of people. Turkey has accused Germany of giving sanctuary to some major elements behind the coup. The dispute boiled recently when Turkey refused to grant to German lawmakers a visit to a military base south of the country where German troops are stationed.

SS