Turkey, Ankara – “We want to see Turkey in the European Union in the near future,” said Minister Witold Waszczykowski during his visit to Ankara. On Wednesday, the MFA chief met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and other top Turkish officials. The main subject of their talks was bilateral cooperation, Turkey-EU relations, the migration crisis and the security situation in the Middle East.
Minister Waszczykowski’s visit to the Turkish capital began with a meeting with President Erdogan. “Our relations have a long tradition spanning more than 600 years,” underscored the minister during the meeting. He also expressed hope that the Warsaw NATO summit in July will produce important decisions that will strengthen the Alliance’s eastern flank. President Erdogan noted that Poland is Turkey’s special partner. “Our relations have gained a new dynamics in recent times. I am grateful to Poland for supporting Turkey’s European aspirations,” he underlined.
Both sides said they hoped to intensify their economic cooperation. “Tenders for Poland’s infrastructural projects can become an engine of growth in our economic relations. We also count on the defence sector’s interest in cooperation with Poland,” noted the Polish minister.
During Minister Witold Waszczykowski’s talks with Turkey’s MFA chief Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, the discussion focused on the security situation in the Middle East and Turkey’s relations with the European Union. “We want the EU to help Turkey with the problems brought on by conflicts in its neighbourhood. We also want to resolve problems generated by migration crises,” said the Polish minister. The Turkish foreign minister in turn noted that Turkey has welcomed three million refugees from Syria and Iraq. He stressed the need to provide them with proper health care and education for children.
Minister Çavuşoğlu thanked Poland for supporting its accession process and the lifting of EU visas for Turkish citizens. “We, Poles, have been interested for many years in establishing weak visa regimes or in not having them at all,” assured Minister Waszczykowski.
During a press conference, Minister Waszczykowski noted that in NATO’s eastern and southern flanks “problems exist caused by Russia’s aggressive behaviour.” During a meeting in the evening with Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, the talk focused on bilateral relations, including cooperation in the field of security policy. The organisation of the NATO summit in Warsaw was an important topic of the discussion.
During his visit to Ankara, Minister Witold Waszczykowski has also met with the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament Ismail Kahraman.
MFA Press Office
