EU-Turkey relations

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will meet European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on May 25 on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels, as they bid to calm recent bilateral strife and inject some positivity into the ties.

Ankara must stick to its European Union membership target, explain itself in a better way and pass the reforms in order to be able to attract more foreign investment, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Şimşek said on May 23. 

EU leaders Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Brussels on May 25 the European Commission said, following months of strained relations.

Juncker, who heads the European Commission, and Tusk, who heads the council of 28 EU member states, are due to meet Erdoğan on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Brussels.    

May 9 was Europe Day. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a message for the occasion. "Our country, which has been a part of Europe historically, geographically and culturally for centuries, wishes to maintain its EU accession process, which it regards as a strategic goal, in an understanding of mutual respect and equality on a win-win basis," he said. 

May 9 was Europe Day. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan issued a message for the occasion. "Our country, which has been a part of Europe historically, geographically and culturally for centuries, wishes to maintain its EU accession process, which it regards as a strategic goal, in an understanding of mutual respect and equality on a win-win basis," he said. 

"The picture in the aftermath of the referendum shows Turkey's democratic strength. This should be well read. We are a country under threat from terrorism. We escaped from a coup attempt.

The regression in relations between Turkey and the European Union has started to slow down following the April 16 referendum in Turkey when President Tayyip Erdoğan got what he wanted: a shift from a parliamentary to an executive presidential form of government.

Leaving aside the "Yes" and "No" debate, let's consider the areas that sustained the most damage in the run-up to the constitutional referendum held in Turkey last month. It would be fair to place Turkey-EU relations at the top of this list.  

Turkey's EU Minister Ömer Çelik will travel to Brussels and Strasbourg on May 9, where he is expected to hold meetings with the bloc's foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini, European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans, and Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, after a period of high tension between the EU and Ankara. 

Turkey and the European Union share a common destiny to walk forward together, according to Christian Berger, the head of the EU delegation to Turkey, who said it was in Ankara's interest to remain on its path to join the bloc.