‘The EU does not know what it wants,’ says Turkish FM

ANKARA

Turkey does not expect progress in the accession process for the EU because of “the attitude of the bloc,” Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on March 21.

“There is an EU that does not know what it wants and does not know what to do,” said Çavuşoğlu, while speaking at a press conference.

“We have told the EU it should oversee its policies,” the minister said.

Turkey and the EU have issues to work on, such as visa liberalization. The issue might be on the agenda of the EU-Turkey leaders’ meeting on March 26 in Varna, Bulgaria.

Another topic is upgrading the Customs Union, “which will benefit both sides,” he said.

“They should not use it as a trump on us,” Çavuşoğlu said, adding that relations between Turkey and the EU should move on realistic prospects.

An EU-Turkey summit will be held on March 26 in the Bulgarian port city of Varna with the attendance of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, EU Council President Donald Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, whose country currently holds the bloc’s presidency.