EU summit to be a key moment for Turkish-EU relations: Envoy

Bahadır Gültekin - ŞANLIURFA

The European Council (EC) summit that will take place on June 24 and 25 will be a significant moment for the future development and improvement of the EU-Turkey relations, a senior EU official has said.

Speaking to Hürriyet Daily News during a visit to the southern province of Şanlıurfa, Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, the head of EU Delegation to Turkey, reminded that there was still a month to go until the meeting and that’s considered a long time in politics. He added that there was still a need to work in order for positive results to be possible.

“The heads of member states will reassess the latest situation and if they consider the environment positive, they will make a positive decision for the continuation of the EU-Turkey relations,” Meyer-Landrut said, noting that the meeting will mark a very important moment for the future development and improvement of EU-Turkey relations.

“I hope that we’ll be in an environment that is conducive to positive decisions,” he added.

EU leaders are set to meet on June 24-25 in Brussels, where they are expected to discuss European affairs and major international issues.

When asked about EU leaders’ expectations from the Turkish government, the diplomat reminded that these expectations were referred to Turkish authorities.

“European Council has expressed its expectations in terms of sustained de-escalation in the eastern Mediterranean and in terms of cooperation to solve regional conflicts in Libya and Syria that have affected both EU member states and Turkey,” he added.

He also stated that there were expectations in the EU regarding both human rights and the rule of law in Turkey.