Turkey’s visa liberalization process will once again be brought to the table, as during this month authorities in Turkey, and European Union officials will meet again in order to discuss this process, as well as other top priority topics such as migration, interior affairs and security.
Such an announcement has been made by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Turkey, Faruk Kaymakcı, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
According to him, the visa-free travel process between Turkey and EU countries would permit over 20 million citizens from Turkey to travel to European countries for tourism purposes and get involved in other sectors in European countries such as the service, business and transportation sectors.
“We will also analyze if we can bring a new perspective to the Turkey-EU migration issue,” Kaymakcı pointed out while stressing that providing funds to migrants and refugees in Turkey does not solve the problem.
Regarding the issue, earlier in September Kaymakcı said that “Turkey’s EU membership is not a fiction but a strategic vision and will be the most beneficial accession to the EU when negotiating candidate Turkey fulfils objective membership criteria.”
On December 16, 2013, the Visa Liberalization Dialogue between the EU and Turkey was launched, following the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement.
The visa liberalization process aims to abolish visa requirements for Turkey’s citizens and permit them to travel to the Schengen Zone countries for short stays, specifically up to 90 days within 180 days period.
In order to finalize such a process, authorities in Turkey have continuously attempted to fulfill the requirements asked by the European Commission; however, the process has not been finalized yet.
Last year, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that the EU would have to abolish visa requirements for Turkish citizens who plan to visit EU countries if they want the refugee and migrant situation at the Turkish-Greek border resolved.
Previously, the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, emphasized that the visa liberalization process with the Schengen Zone countries is among the country’s top priorities.
Turkey is home to more than five million refugees, especially after the Syrian civil war broke out in 2011. However, the migration and refugees issue has brought many discussions among authorities in Turkey.
Previously the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Çavuşoğlu said that if the EU does not grant visa-free access to the Schengen Zone countries to Turkish citizens, the government will suspend the migrant agreement reached with the EU in 2016.
