Brussels, 05/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis are to visit Turkey on Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 December to strengthen the links between the EU and Turkey.
This visit, coming so soon into the Commission's mandate, shows the EU's desire “to engage more with Turkey and develop cooperation at a higher and broader level”, said a European official. Before setting off, Mogherini said that their visit was “a strong indication of the strategic importance of EU-Turkey relations”.
On 8 December, Mogherini, Hahn and Andriukaitis will meet Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and European Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkir, as well as representatives from the opposition, and from business and civil society. They are expected to discuss the accession negotiations, while the Council is to discuss Turkey on 16 December. The economy, trade, customs union and foreign affairs and visa policy are all on the agenda. The peace process with the Kurds and the importance of reducing tension in the region so as to resume the negotiations to resolve the Cypriot conflict are also topics that are due to be addressed.
On 9 December, Mogherini and Stylianides will visit the refugee camps at Kilis and Gaziantep, on the border with Syria. The Commission is expected to announce aid for Turkey to help it support the refugees - who number over 1 million. The Europeans will also discuss the way the EU can help, and how to move on from an emergency situation to one of hosting the refugees over the long term. (CG)