Gendarmerie reform 'positive step' for Turkey's demilitarization, EU ambassador says

Sevil Erkuş ANKARA

EU Ambassador to Turkey Manservisi said on Oct. 24 that the reform of the gendarmerie could be a 'positive step' in terms of demilitarization.

The government’s new amendment on the structure of the gendarmerie “in principle, could be a positive step” with regard to visa liberalization, the outgoing head of the European Union Delegation to Turkey EU Ambassador Stefano Manservisi has said.

Turkey and the EU should together assess how much of a step forward this marks for a better integrated border management, he added.

“From an accession point of view, it’s a positive step in terms of demilitarizing,” Manservisi told a group of journalists on Oct. 24.

Meanwhile, Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioğlu met EU Managing Director Hugues Mingarelli at the European External Action Service (EEAS) earlier this week for consultations on security challenges derived from the region, particularly from Syria and Iraq, according to European diplomatic sources.

A higher level visit by Helga Schmid, the Deputy Secretary General for Political Affairs in the EEAS, will be paid in November for talks on political dialogue, said the same sources.