Accession negotiations remain the cornerstone of EU-Turkey relations, according to the joint statement by Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs of the European Commission, Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, as well as Turkish FM Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkır.

“Accession negotiations remain the cornerstone of EU-Turkey relations. We underlined the importance of concrete steps to revive the accession negotiations, including in the area of rule of law and the justice sector as well as the economic sector. The EU and Turkey will also continue cooperation on other shared priorities, including trade and the modernisation of the Customs Union, energy and visa liberalization,” RIA Novosti reports citing the statement.

The statement also refers to strengthening cooperation for preventing illegal migration to the EU countries, providing additional support to Turkey for receiving refugees from Syria and Iraq, tackling the terrorist threat and supporting Cyprus settlement talks.  

As reported earlier, the EU and Turkey had decided to commence economic discourse. “Economic relations stem from the interests of both sides. That is why we have decided to conduct economic dialogue,” Bozkir said at the press-conference in the framework of the EU-Turkey Association Council in Brussels.