site.btaEU Leaders Meet with Turkish President in Varna

Varna, on the Black Sea, March 26 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov hosted a meeting of European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Euxinograd Residence near Varna on Monday evening. All aspects of current and future relations between the bloc and its southeastern neighbour were discussed by the four over working dinner, focussing on how to move the EU-Turkey relationship forward, on the basis of mutual respect and common interests.

They assessed matters of mutual interest and recent developments in Turkey, including the country's actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea and its involvement in Syria. Energy cooperation was also prominent in the discussion, with EU leaders once again stressing that good neighbourly relations with all EU Member States are key for an enhanced energy security. Cooperation in security, the fight against terrorism and migration management and the EU's assistance for refugees in Turkey topped the agenda, as the EU-Turkey Statement continues to deliver results.

Speaking at a joint news conference after the European Union - Turkey Leaders' Meeting, Tusk said that "we reconfirm our readiness to keep up the dialogue and consultations and to work together to overcome current difficulties with a view to unleashing the potential of our partnership."

"On migration and support for refugees, the EU and Turkey remain very close partners." He expressed appreciation for "the impressive work Turkey has been doing, and to sincerely thank Turkey and the Turkish people for hosting more than 3 million Syrian refugees these past years. The EU has lent substantial support to improve the livelihood of these refugees, and this evening we reaffirmed the European Union's unwavering commitment to continue this support."

"As an EU candidate country, Turkey has committed to developing and upholding the highest standards of democracy. We understand Turkey's need to deal effectively with its security after the attempted coup and the terrorist attacks it has suffered. But we are concerned that some of the methods used undermine fundamental freedoms and the rule of law in Turkey. We encourage Turkey to work with the Council of Europe, of which Turkey has been a member longer than most EU Member States. The EU also stands ready to assist," the European Council President said.

Tusk voiced the EU's "serious concerns about inter alia recent Turkish actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea as well as the detention of EU citizens".

"The European Union stands united behind the Republic of Cyprus regarding its right to explore and exploit its natural resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone. This is also important in view of our shared objective for the successful reunification of Cyprus for the benefit of both populations on the island, for Turkey, the European Union and for EU-Turkey relations," Tusk pointed out.

"We also expressed our concern with Turkey's actions in Syria, in particular the situation in Afrin. Escalating violence and displacement in an already tragic and volatile situation must be avoided. And we recalled Turkey's responsibility to ensure the protection of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian assistance to all those in need."

At the news conference, Borissov thanked the EU leaders and Erdogan "for talking about what brings us together," noting that "such constructive position was not expected" at this meeting "charged with so much tension". "We achieved a large part of the goals that we had set ourselves," the PM said, thanking all members of the European Council for voting unanimously in favour of holding this meeting.

"The agreement on the migrants stands, and the next tranche [of EU financial support] for Turkey is guaranteed," he added.

The host thanked Erdogan for "the zero migrant pressure" on Bulgaria' border with Turkey.

Asked to identify the greatest success of the summit, he said that "after hurling claims and strong language at one another via the media, we are already back to the negotiating table, each with their arguments, and this channel of dialogue must remain open." Borissov believes that one more such meeting will take place before the end of the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency on June 30.

"Erdogan provided a lot of information about Syria and the refugee camps, and this information will have to be considered," he said.

"We raised all issues concerning Bulgaria and Europe. At the bilateral meetings, we considered all topics," the Bulgarian PM said, specifying that Turkey lays claims to the mufti properties, for compensations and about the consequences of the "Regeneration Process" (an internationally condemned campaign to assimilate Bulgarian Muslims, launched by the Communist regime in the mid-1980s), for water management and cultural landmarks. "These issues can be addressed by the foreign ministers and by a joint commission," Borissov stated.

"I hope that the period of bad relations between Turkey and the EU is left in the past," Erdogan said at the news conference. He stressed that Turkey's bid for EU membership dates from 1963, and in 2018 Turkey is still a candidate country, which is why the negotiating process needs to be speeded up.

The Turkish President stated that his country honours its commitments regarding counter-terrorism.

He insists that the EU should disburse the second tranche of the 3 billion euro, promised and agreed "to make life easier" for the 3 million refugees present on Turkish soil.

Erdogan expects the EU to relax its visa requirements for Turkish citizens and insists on a faster finalization of work on this issue. He attaches great importance to the fight against terrorism because his country has been targeted by a number of terrorist organizations like Daesh, PKK, etc. The President argued that the anti-terrorist operations carried out by Turkey enhance Turkish citizens' security. Hence, "we expect strong support, and the EU should not groundlessly criticize us on this matter," he said.

Juncker asserted at the news conference that the EU will keep its commitment regarding the migrants in Turkey and that the Union's commitment to the 3 billion euro for Turkey should not be called into question. While not everything is perfect about migration, the EU-Turkey Statement of March 18, 2016 proved very efficient, considering that the number of migrants coming to the EU has dropped by 87 per cent, the European Commission President pointed out.

He described the Turkish people as a great people, often very courageous, and said he feels great respect and admiration for it. "We want Turkey to be a real strategic partner of the EU. We must maintain a sincere and honest dialogue," he added. "The EU and Turkey make a big mistake by stressing the differences that keep us apart and not talking about the common things that make us partners: we share interests and challenges," Juncker added. Among these, he listed the geostrategic interests in security and energy supply. "I would like to see the intervention in Syria conform to international law," the European Commission President pointed out.

At their last summit on March 22-23, EU leaders called on Turkey to respect Cyprus' sovereign rights to explore and exploit its natural resources, in line with EU and international law. They also recalled Turkey's obligation to respect international law and good neighbourly relations, and normalize relations with all EU Member States including Cyprus. In addition, the EU expressed its grave concern over the continued detention of EU citizens in Turkey. It called for the swift and positive resolution of these issues.

Speaking ahead of his departure from Istanbul, Erdogan thanked Borissov for hosting the Leaders' Meeting. The President told reporters that he would discuss matters of interest to the peoples of Turkey and Bulgaria and of regional interest with the Prime Minister of friendly neighbouring Bulgaria.

Erdogan stated that he expected the decisions of the Varna meeting to invigorate Turkey's future relations with the EU, stressing that this is the fifth meeting with Brussels leaders.

He said EU membership is a strategic goal for Turkey, which has deep ties with Europe.

***

BTA Correspondent in Brussels Nikolay Jeliazkov contributed to this story.