site.btaEU Considers Accelerated Visa Issuance for Turkish Citizens

The EU and Turkiye will explore ways on travel facilitation for Turkish citizens through acceleration of visa issuance, the two sides said in a joint statement after Thursday's meeting in Brussels between EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson and Turkiye's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.

The sides renewed their common desire to come to a successful conclusion in fulfilling the benchmarks under the Visa Liberalization Dialogue and to intensify cooperation to that end. The acceleration of visa issuance is a temporary measure until the visa requirement is lifted.  

The EU and Turkiye also discussed migration and security, the statement said. They exchanged views on the prevention of irregular migration, on border security and the fight against migrant smuggling. They agreed to increase cooperation and mutual efforts on counterterrorism and the fight against organized crime.