Accession Talks Are Cornerstone of EU-Turkey Relations - Joint Statement

ANKARA (Sputnik) — Talks on Turkey’s accession to the European Union are a vital element of relations between Ankara and Brussels, a joint statement on the EU External Action website said Monday.

The announcement comes ahead of an upcoming EU-Turkey Association Council meeting in Brussels.

“Turkey and the EU are key partners and strategic allies in our region. Accession negotiations remain the cornerstone of EU-Turkey relations,” the statement, signed by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkir, EU Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini and EU’s Enlargement Minister Johannes Hahn, reads.

The parties emphasized the importance of resuming accession negotiations, focusing on such areas as the rule of law, justice and economics, according to the statement.

Turkey was officially recognized as a candidate for full EU membership in 1999 before the negotiations process began in 2005.

In 2006, then-European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said that it could take up to 20 years for Turkey to be admitted.

Ankara needs to fulfill 35 technical points to achieve the standards required for EU membership. To date, delegates have reached consensus only on 14 of these points. Negotiations on 17 chapters to the accession agreement have ground to a halt and a further four are yet to be discussed.