Turkish foreign minister considers visa issue with the EU as a priority

Havana, April 14 (RHC) - Türkiye Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed today that visa liberalization with the European Union (EU) bloc remains one of Ankara's priorities.

In a televised interview in Ankara, Cavusoglu addressed a variety of issues related to Türkiye's foreign policy, stating that his country wants to continue visa negotiations, but the EU must address this issue sincerely.

Noting that Türkiye will continue its work in this direction, the foreign minister also recalled that Ankara suspended the readmission agreement because the EU did not comply with its commitment to make certifications more flexible.

According to Cavusoglu, a migration agreement was signed on March 18, 2016, as the Syrian civil war tore millions of people apart who then began their journey to reach the EU.

The agreement contained six key points: the revitalization of Ankara's accession process to the EU, the modernization of its Customs Union, the reactivation of the high-level dialogue and the liberalization of visas for Turkish citizens. It also included cooperation in the management of migratory flows and steps in the fight against terrorism.

Türkiye has long complained that while it kept its side of the deal, the bloc failed to keep its promises, including on the visa issue.

Noting that another priority area for Türkiye's foreign policy is economic diplomacy, Cavusoglu noted that this includes health tourism, trade and exports.

The minister also listed Ankara's African policy, ties with Latin American countries and Asia as other priority areas in his nation's foreign policy.

“There is currently a serious pursuit of power sharing in the world and new powers are emerging due to multilateralism and the inadequacy of the system, so Türkiye should be in a very strong place in this power sharing”, he said. (Source: Prensa Latina)