Turkey, EU to hold senior-level political dialogue

ANKARA

Turkey and the European Union will hold a political dialogue in Ankara on May 31, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has said in a written statement.

It said the meeting will be held at the political directors’ level with the participation of deputy foreign ministers Faruk Kaymakçı and Sedat Önal from the Turkish side and Deputy Secretary-General Enrique Mora and Acting Director-General for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission Maciej Popowski.

In line with Turkey’s accession process, the two sides will exchange views on Turkey-EU relations, as well as regional and international issues, the statement read.

Talks will be focused on the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the common efforts for an immediate end of the armed conflict. Turkey has been an active player in efforts to mediate between the two warring sides. The EU has been praising Turkey’s efforts.

The two sides will also review the situation in Syria, Libya and other current geopolitical developments over which Turkey and the EU hold influence.

Turkey has been a candidate country to join the EU since 1999. The negotiations, which started in 2005, came to a standstill recently due to political disagreements and Brussels’s criticisms regarding the poor human rights and democracy record of Turkey.