Media: Brussels weighs visa concessions for Türkiye in diplomatic reset

The European Union is working on plans to liberalize its visa regime with Türkiye, POLITICO reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.

According to the report, the issue was discussed during a visit to Ankara by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, and European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner. The EU delegation held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on a range of issues, including visa liberalization.

Fidan has previously said that Ankara expects Brussels to improve relations "on the basis of objective criteria and merit, without any discrimination." He also reaffirmed that membership in the European Union remains a "strategic goal" for Türkye.

Türkiye is one of nine countries holding EU candidate status, alongside Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia.

While all candidate countries face challenges on their path toward EU membership, Türkiye's accession process has been the longest. Ankara signed an Association Agreement with the bloc in 1963, formally applied for membership in 1987, and was granted candidate status in 1999. Despite decades of negotiations, its membership bid has remained stalled over a range of political and institutional issues.

By Vafa Guliyeva