EC President: It is still too early to improve relations with Turkey

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that Europe wanted an improvement in its relationship with Ankara, but that it was "still too early".

6 April, 2021 14:28

NEWSDESK

In a statement after her meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, von der Leyen revealed that the European Commission will soon present a proposal to Turkey to ensure the flow of funding for refugees, noting that Ankara's commitment to the 2016 migrant agreement will show "goodwill."

On the other hand, the European Commission President expressed her concern about Turkey’s decision last month to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, which aims to protect women from violence, stressing that “respect for basic rights and the rule of law is very important.”

And the disputes have increased over the years on a growing list of issues, especially last summer when Turkey sent ships to support the mission of exploring energy in the waters claimed by Cyprus and Greece, members of the European Union.

Tensions eased somewhat when Turkey withdrew the ships and this year entered into its first maritime talks with Greece since 2016.

The bloc backed away from its threat to impose sanctions on Turkey as a result.

ANHA