"In the past few years, as a result of some of the events in Turkey, Turkey has been getting further and further apart from Europe," Sobotka stated.
The prime minister noted that Ankara plays an important role in stabilization of the region "and therefore there is a need to reinforce our communication with Turkey."
Sobotka also said there is a need for closer coordination with Turkey on such pressing challenges as the migration crisis facing Europe.
Sobotka underscored that Turkey has not yet fulfilled all the conditions needed to carry out the cancellation, adding that Ankara signaled its intention to implement the needed changes.
On March 18, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Turkey hopes that the visa-free process for its citizens traveling to the European Union will be implemented before the end of June 2016.
The European Union should be prepared to address the problem of radicalization of second and third generations of Muslim immigrants, according to Bohuslav Sobotka.
"There is a big danger of radicalization of second and third generations of Muslim immigrants in Europe, and Europe has to be ready to respond to it," Sobotka stated.
Sobotka underscored that the European Union should be more decisive at tackling problems like the present migrant crisis.
Europe has been beset the massive crisis, with millions of undocumented migrants fleeing their home countries in the Middle East and North Africa to escape violence and poverty. The majority of them arrive to the European Union through Turkish and into Greek territory.
