New road map will give fresh momentum to EU-Turkey ties

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent visit to Brussels was positive because both Turkey and the EU decided to maintain dialogue, said retired ambassador Ünal Çeviköz. 

The road map endorsed by the two sides could give a new momentum to Ankara's rocky relations with Brussels, as the Turkish government may find it easier to fulfil the EU's expectations on democratic standards in the near future in the absence of an election in the coming months, Çeviköz told the Hürriyet Daily News in an interview.

How do you read the outcome of Erdoğan's visit to Brussels?

The most important aspect of the visit to Brussels was the trilateral meeting between Erdoğan, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Erdoğan's meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also a highlight.

Turkey-EU relations have not been going well for a long time and it was time to review the situation. I understand that they agreed to draw up a road map for another year. This is encouraging. If it is a visionary and constructive road map it could help to give new momentum to Turkey-EU relations. That is exactly what we need. Visa-free travel in Europe for Turkish citizens, the Syrian refugee issue, and the EU's financial support on the refugee issue were probably the key elements of the road map.

Still, I don't think there will be any rapid developments because the EU has made it clear since 2013 that there were 72 criteria for the finalization of the agreement granting Turkish citizens' visa-free travel to Europe. The problem is the law on combatting terrorism, and the Turkish government is still not at the point of coming to terms with the EU's understanding of the issue. EU leaders have...