Turkey, EU intensify political, economic dialogue

There is no doubt that 2016 will be marked as the year of the EU for Turkey. This is particularly the case following the joint statement issued on Nov. 29 last year aiming to re-energize accession talks in return for an agreement on the refugee crisis. 

A quick glance at the immediate Turkey-EU calendar proves the intensification of dialogue:

On Jan. 22, Turkey and Germany will hold their first high-level cooperation council meeting in Berlin, in a bid to deepen all sorts of ties between the two countries. German Chancellor Angela Merkel's leadership in finding an agreement on the refugee problem with Turkey helped lead to a better understanding between Ankara and Berlin, which could also have an impact on Turkey-skeptics in Germany and the rest of the continent.

On Jan. 25, a comprehensive meeting between Turkey and the EU will be held with the purpose of deepening political dialogue between the two parties. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavu?o?lu and EU Minister Volkan Bozk?r will represent the Turkish side, while EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mongherini and the EU Commission's official responsible for enlargement, Johannes Hann, will be on the other. This four-way meeting will continue to be held in the future, discussing foreign policy issues, Turkey's ability to meet EU requirements, and opening of more chapters.  

Only three days after that first meeting, Turkey will host an EU-Turkey Strategic Energy Cooperation meeting in Istanbul on Jan. 28-29. In it, senior Turkish and EU officials will come together to discuss what the two parties can do to increase cooperation for energy security. The Trans-Anatolian Pipeline Project (TANAP) and other potential pipeline projects to transport reserves from source...