site.btaIt's Official: EU Leaders Invite Turkish President Erdogan to Meet them in Varna on March 26

Brussels, February 7 (BTA correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) - European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker have sent a letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inviting him to meet with them in Varna (on the Black Sea) on March 26, 2018. The letter, dated February 5, was made public by Tusk's spokesman on Tuesday evening.

The letter says that "Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, as the leader of the country holding the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, has kindly agreed to host this meeting as a working dinner." The EU leaders note that "we welcome your recent efforts to reach out" in respect of "concrete steps by Turkey on the domestic front as well as in relations with EU Member States".

Tusk and Juncker add that the meeting will be "a good opportunity to jointly assess matters of mutual interest and recent developments" in Turkey, "including in the area of rule of law and fundamental freedoms, which remain fundamental to the fabric of and prospects for EU-Turkey relations, as well as regional and international issues."

"This occasion will also serve to share our views on how to move our relationship forward, on the basis of mutual respect and common interests," the letter says.