27 June 2016•Update: 29 June 2016
ANKARA
Turkey announced progress Monday in relations with Russia, speaking hopefully of “accelerated” reconciliation some eight months after Turkey shot down a Russian warplane that violated airspace.
Speaking at a press conference following a Cabinet meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesperson Numan Kurtulmus said the thaw followed recent letters to the Russian leadership from President Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim.
Pointing to evidence of the thaw, Yildirim said, "I want to express that some Turkish companies operating in Russia were given work permits again, which is an indication of the normalization of relations with Russia in a short time.”
Following the November 2015 downing of a Russian airplane in Turkish airspace, the Kremlin ordered sanctions on food products, an end to visa-free travel, and a ban on Russian tourists taking package holidays in Turkey.
The news followed a breakthrough in Turkish-Israeli ties due to be announced today after six years of frosty relations.
Teams from both countries meeting in Rome on Sunday agreed on key conditions for reconciliation, and Kurtulmus said the Turkish and Israeli prime ministers will make a statement about the agreement on Monday.
According to a senior Turkish official speaking anonymously due to restrictions on talking to the media, Israel accepted a number of requests by the Turkish side, including Israeli compensation for the families of those killed in the 2010 Mavi Marmara flotilla raid and Turkey's humanitarian presence in the embargoed Gaza Strip.
Under the deal, Turkey will be able to send humanitarian aid to Gaza as well as implement infrastructure projects including residential buildings and a 200-bed Turkish-Palestine Friendship Hospital in the area.
Visa liberalization
On continuing efforts to gain visa liberalization with Schengen zone countries, Kurtulmus said Turkey has fulfilled its responsibilities and showed a "sincere intention" to fulfill the remaining five requirements.
"I want to express that it is for the good of the European Union to treat Turkey more sensibly in the face of recent developments. Especially, we ask and hope for the starting of the process to take steps agreed to on visa liberalization," he said.
Kurtulmus said Turkey's expectations on visa freedom were clear, underlining that Turkey is a country that met the requirements of the readmission agreement with the union.
Turkey and the EU signed a refugee deal in March which aims to discourage irregular migration through the Aegean Sea by taking stricter measures against human traffickers and improving the conditions of nearly 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey.
The deal also allows for the acceleration of Turkey’s EU membership bid and visa-free travel for Turkish nationals within the Schengen area, on the condition that Ankara meets 72 requirements set by the EU.
Although Turkey fulfilled most of the criteria last month, differences between Brussels and Ankara on anti-terror legislation have forestalled the visa liberalization deal.
Customs Union Agreement
Kurtulmus said Turkey also faced losses by entering the Customs Union without being a full member of the European Union.
"Turkey has had financial losses. Later, with the launch of the TTIP [Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership] agreement between the European Union and the U.S., we know Turkey has the potential to face more serious losses.”
Turkey is the only non-EU country that has a Customs Union agreement, which was a key step to prospective EU membership.
Turkish officials have repeatedly criticized future free trade agreements signed by the EU with other countries, such as the U.S., which would effectively open Turkey’s market to exports from such states as Ankara was a signatory of the Customs Union agreement.
"Therefore, it is requisite for Turkey to revise and discuss the Customs Union within the framework of the latest developments in Europe," Kurtulmus said.
