EU must work with Turkey for international, regional stability: Turkish FM

NEW YORK

The European Union must work with Turkey for the stability of the region and beyond, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Sept. 23 after meeting a senior EU official.

The top diplomat met with Josep Borrell, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, on the sidelines of the 76th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

“Discussed w/#EU High Representative @JosepBorrellF #Afghanistan, #EasternMediterranean & relations w/EU. EU must cooperate w/Turkey for international & regional stability,” Çavuşoğlu tweeted.

Borrell also emphasized the need for close cooperation.

“Good to see @MevlutCavusoglu in the sidelines of #UNGA. We discussed EU - Turkey relations, the Cyprus issue, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, and #Afghanistan. Close cooperation and coordination is key,” he said on Twitter.

Ankara and Brussels have revitalized discussions since early 2021 after a one-year-long strain over the search for hydrocarbon reserves in the eastern Mediterranean.

Turkey urges the bloc for membership negotiations to be restarted, the Customs Union be updated, the March 18 Agreement and visa liberalization, in particular, to be put into effect in its entirety.

Turkish and European officials have over the last couple of years carried out talks on revising the Customs Union which had been stalled as a result of political tensions.

In recent discussions, Turkey and the EU pledged to revise the March 18 migration deal.

After the Taliban gained control of Afghanistan, Ankara and Brussels have intensified talks on advancing cooperation on efforts to stem a possible refugee influx from the war-torn country.