On Tuesday 6 February, Preben Aamann, the spokesperson for European Council President Donald Tusk, tweeted that Tusk, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boïko Borissov will meet Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Varna, Bulgaria, on 26 March, to discuss EU-Turkey relations and regional and international questions.
According to Tusk and Juncker's invitation to Erdoğan on 5 February, the working dinner will be a good opportunity for them to assess together subjects of mutual interest and recent developments in Turkey – including the rule of law and fundamental freedoms (two elements that remain fundamental in the architecture and development of relations between the EU and Turkey) but also regional and international questions.
Tusk and Juncker say that this will enable them to share their points of view on how to make their relationship progress on the basis of mutual respect and common interest.
They also hail Erdoğan's recent efforts on his country's relations with the EU member states (see EUROPE 11954). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)