Three senior EU officials to visit Turkey next week

Three high ranking EU officials will visit Ankara next week to discuss Turkey's EU membership and the Cyprus dispute, Turkey's EU Minister and Chief Negotiator Volkan Bozkır announced on Dec. 4.

High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn and European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides are the three officials who will visit Turkey.

They will meet Bozkır and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to discuss Turkey's EU membership process and the ongoing Cyprus issue.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu is paying a visit to Greece on Nov. 5-6, where he will meet with Greek President Karolos Papoulias and Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. Improving the relations between the Aegean neighbors is the primary aim of the visit, which is part of the confidence-building measures launched in 2010.

Tension concerning the exploration for oil and gas has arisen between Turkey and Greece, as Turkey aims to search for oil and gas in the same area where the internationally recognized Greek Cyprus government has licensed exploratory drilling in its exclusive economic zone.

Bozkır added that Mogherini and Stylianides will also visit Gaziantep, where Syrian refugees have taken shelter after fleeing their country due to domestic unrest in the country.