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Turkey Seeks to Open 5 EU Accession Agreement Chapters Soon

© AP Photo / Murad SezerFlags of Turkey, left, and the European Union fly over the dome of a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey
Flags of Turkey, left, and the European Union fly over the dome of a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey - Sputnik International
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Turkish Minister for European Union Affairs Volkan Bozkir said that Ankara is seeking to open five of the remaining 20 chapters of the agreement on Turkey's accession to the European Union in the near future.

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BRUSSELS (Sputnik) — Ankara is seeking to open five of the remaining 20 chapters of the agreement on Turkey's accession to the European Union in the near future, Turkish Minister for European Union Affairs Volkan Bozkir said Monday.

Earlier in the day, Turkey and the European Union opened the chapter 17 on economic and financial policies. The sides previously agreed on 14 out of 35 chapters that Ankara should fulfill in order to meet EU standards.

"Swift opening of chapter 15 [on] energy, chapter 23 [on] judiciary and fundamental rights, chapter 24 [on] justice, freedom and security, chapter 26 [on] education and culture, and chapter 31 [on] foreign security and defense policy is in our opinion a must," Bozkir said at a press conference.

Ankara applied to join the European Union's predecessor, the European Economic Community, in 1987, but accession talks began only in 2005.

The 2015 migrant crisis in Europe has improved Turkey’s chances of accession to the bloc. Brussels asked Ankara to tighten control of its borders with Syria and, thereby, to stop the migrant influx into Europe in exchange for intensifying its EU membership talks.

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