Turkey-EU ties on better footing, EU’s Borrell says

Turkey and the European Union have started the year positively and steps to restart talks with Greece over hydrocarbons in the Mediterranean are welcome, but the EU remains concerned about human rights, the bloc’s top envoy said on Thursday.

“We have seen an improvement in the overall atmosphere … we strongly wish to see a sustainable de-escalation in the eastern Mediterranean,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu before their meeting.

“We remain concerned about the (human rights) situation in Turkey,” Borrell said.

For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey and the European Union must take concrete steps in order to maintain a recent positive atmosphere between them, adding there was political will on both sides for a positive agenda.

Ties between Ankara and the bloc have been strained over issues ranging from a dispute between Turkey and Greece in the eastern Mediterranean to Turkish policy in Syria, Libya, Nagorno-Karabakh and Cyprus.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Brussels, Cavusoglu also said he and Borrell would discuss updating a migrant deal between the bloc and Ankara.

Main Photo: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (L) and High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell give a joint statement ahead of a meeting at the EEAS in Brussels, Belgium, 21 January 2021 EPA-EFE/STEPHANIE LECOCQ POOL EPA