Turkey, EU to hold political dialogue meeting in July

Sevil Erkuş - ANKARA

Turkey and the European Union are set to hold a political dialogue meeting at the ministerial level on July 25, an EU official has told Hürriyet Daily News. 

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, EU Minister Ömer Çelik, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn will gather for the meeting in Brussels. 

A visit by Hahn to Ankara, where he will have talks with Çelik and several other ministers, on July 5 will lay the ground for the political dialogue meeting. 

Relations between Ankara and Brussels strained after the July 2016 coup attempt, but the political spat between the EU and the Turkish leadership toned down after the April 16 referendum on a constitutional amendment in Turkey.

The rigidity eased after a May 25 meeting, which brought together Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, and European Council President Donald Tusk, where the parties agreed to work on a positive agenda. 

On June 13, Ankara and Brussels held a political dialogue meeting at the level of directors. 

The European commissioners for transportation and agriculture will also visit Turkey in July. 

An energy dialogue and an economy dialogue meeting are also expected to be held in the upcoming months.