Emre Basaran
May 23, 2024•Update: May 23, 2024
ISTANBUL
The Turkish foreign minister said on Thursday that Türkiye and the EU are discussing ways to better handle irregular migration.
"There is a mechanism between the EU and Türkiye on irregular migration, and we have discussed how to better cooperate on this issue," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said at a joint news conference with EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi.
About the EU visas for Turkish citizens, the minister underlined that the process should be more streamlined.
"Recently, there have been visa issues with the EU countries, and we're in talks with our European counterparts on this matter," he said.
For his part, Varhelyi emphasized the EU's dialogue with Türkiye on the Customs Union.
"We have overcome a significant amount of problems regarding Customs Union with Türkiye," he said.
The EU official also underlined the economic cooperation between the two sides, adding that 2023 saw an all-time record in trade with Türkiye.
"The EU aims to mobilize €2.4 billion ($2.6 billion) of direct investment as part of the EU-Türkiye Investment Platform," Varhelyi stated.
