EU to reaffirm its commitment to Turkey at Istanbul meeting

Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/ Commission Vice-President, and Štefan Füle , Commissioner for Enlargement will on Tuesday, July 13, participate in the European Union-Turkey High Level Political Dialogue Meeting in Istanbul. The main objective of the meeting – in which Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bağış will also participate – is to reaffirm the EU’s commitment to Turkey and explore ways how the EU and Turkey can enhance cooperation in the region.

HR/VP Catherine Ashton said: “Turkey has recently started to become more assertive in its foreign policy. We welcome the increasingly important role of Turkey in the region. In this context we will also look at the ways in which the EU and Turkey can enhance cooperation.”

Štefan Füle, Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy said: “The Political Dialogue provides for a timely confirmation of Turkey's perspective of EU membership and the continuation of the enlargement process. I hope that more chapters could be opened this year, if Turkey meets the necessary conditions. Of course the engine of the whole process are the reforms taking place in Turkey. The Commission will continue to support Turkey in carrying out these reforms.”

Background

The EU-Turkey Political Dialogue meeting is part of regular bilateral meetings between the European Union and Turkey, taking place on a ministerial level twice a year.

In Istanbul the political dialogue will be of a strategic nature, focusing on the collaboration of the EU and Turkey in the wider region. The two sides will also discuss the EU-Turkey accession negotiations and the fight against terrorism.