President of the European Council of government leaders Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan together next week.
Their spokespersons have announced this. The meeting in Ankara will take place on April 6 at the invitation of Erdogan.
Until a few months ago, the tension between Brussels and Ankara was unbearable. As recently as December, punitive measures were taken against the country that has had the EU’s status since 1999 and is also a NATO ally.
But last week at their online summit, the 27 EU leaders agreed to step up cooperation with Turkey if the country continues to be as constructive as it has been in recent months.
For example, Turkey has stopped searching for oil and gas in Greece and Cyprus’s waters and consultations with Cyprus, the northern part of which has been occupied by Turkey since 1974, are on the agenda.
In Brussels, it has not yet been announced which topics will be discussed. But these are expected to include the expansion of the customs union with Turkey and possibly new financial support from the EU for the reception of Syrian refugees.