MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, the European Commission recommended a conditional implementation of a visa-free regime with Turkey as part of the EU-Turkey deal on migration. European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans outlined several conditions that need to be fulfilled by Turkey before its citizens can be allowed to enter Europe without a visa. These included adopting anti-corruption measures, implementing judicial reforms, providing data protection and updating its anti-terrorism legislation.
"[The] EU asks Turkey to change its terror laws for [a] visa exemption; let [PKK] [Kurdistan Workers' Party] terrorists erect tents. You go your way, we'll go ours," Erdogan was quoted as saying by the Turkish Daily Sabah newspaper's official Twitter account.
Turkey has yet to meet the EU requirements on human rights, press freedom and minority treatment necessary to qualify for free travel.
At the same time, Turkey has been hit by numerous terrorist attacks in recent months, with both Islamist and Kurdish militant groups allegedly responsible for the ferocious acts. Animosity arouse between Turkish law enforcement agencies and the Kurds last summer after a number of attacks against Turkish police and military personnel, for which Ankara blamed the PKK.
Turkey has been accused by human rights groups of alleged torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by security forces in its treatment of the Kurds.
