Turkey to Offer ‘Final Deal’ on Visa-Free Regime to EU After Referendum – FM

Turkey will offer the "final" deal to the European Union regarding the introduction of a bilateral visa-free regime after the referendum on constitutional change scheduled for April 16, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The minister stressed that Ankara was keen to "resolve the problem that halted visa liberalization dialogue" with the European Union, which was put on hold in November 2016, with the EU demanding that Turkey lifts its restrictive measures introduced after the failed coup attempt in June.

"We will submit our final offer to the EU after April 16," Cavusoglu said, during a meeting in the province of Antalya, as cited by the newspaper Hurriyet Daily News.

The talks on upgrading Customs Union between Turkey and the European Union will be resumed after the referendum as well, the minister added.

The introduction of a visa-free travel agreement between the European Union and Turkey was part of the migration deal signed in March 2016, with Ankara pledging to take back all undocumented migrants who arrive in the European Union through its territory in exchange for the accommodation of Syrian refugees in Turkey on a one-for-one basis.

Following the suspension of the talks, the EU Commission presented a report on the implementation of the migration deal, stating that "as regards the implementation of the Visa Liberalisation Roadmap, there are still seven benchmarks that remain to be met" by Ankara, including revision of its legislation and practices fighting terrorism in line with European standards.

Turkey refuses to introduce changes to its restrictive counterterrorism legislation, claiming that the country is currently attacked by the Fethullahist Terror Organization (FETO), accused by Ankara of preparing the summer coup attempt, as well as by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, considered terrorists in Turkey, and the Islamic State (IS, a terrorist group outlawed in Russia).