According to the Anadolu news agency, the sides agreed that Turkey and EU institutions should continue dialogue to assess fight against terrorism in light of the visa liberalization process, given Ankara's priorities.
In mid-March, Brussels and Ankara agreed on a deal under which Turkey pledged to take back all undocumented migrants who arrive in the European Union through its territory in exchange for Syrian refugees accommodated in Turkey, on a one-for-one basis. In return, the 28-member bloc pledged to accelerate the Turkish EU accession bid and introduce a visa-free regime between Turkey and the Schengen Area.
Earlier this month, the European Commission recommended that the European Parliament vote on a visa-free regime for Turkey once the country meets all 72 required conditions. Most of the requirements have already been fulfilled by Ankara, though five problematic criteria remain, including the revision of Turkey’s national anti-terrorism laws and freedom of the press.
On May 20, Erdogan accused Brussels of hypocrisy for delaying the implementation of a visa-free regime for Turkish citizens, stating that the bloc had chosen to concentrate of simplifying its visa regimes for some Latin American countries instead.
