Gov't sure of visa-free travel to EU in June

The Turkish government is certain it will obtain the right to visa-free travel for its citizens from the European Union in June within the scope of a Turkey-EU deal reached in March. 

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu said Turkish citizens would be granted visa-free travel in June after Turkey completes the necessary requirements as part of the deal.

"My friends, we will get the visa liberalization in June. God willing," Davuto?lu told reporters April 19 en route to Ankara from Strasbourg, where he addressed the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). 

"We have covered a serious distance about the visa liberalization criteria. I talked to [European Commission President Jean-Claude] Juncker. Nobody was expecting such a high performance," said Davuto?lu. 

"There were 72 criteria, now it has down to the single-digit level," the prime minister also added. 

Davuto?lu said the relevant laws on political ethics and the return of criminals were currently at parliament, adding that they aimed at passing eight international agreements through a parliamentary commission. 

"[Turkish EU Minister] Volkan Bozk?r has a list in his hand; we always tick the items off the list," said Davuto?lu. "At every cabinet meeting, I ask where we are [in the process of the meeting of the necessary criteria]." 

The Turkey-EU deal reached on March 18 in order to curb the migrant flow into the bloc, during which Turkey agreed to take back all migrants reaching Greece as of March 20, in return for the EU accepting one Syrian refugee from Turkey for each migrant Turkey takes back from the EU. In addition, the EU promised to grant visa-free travel to Turkish citizens by June if Turkey meets the necessary requirements...