EU Minister Çelik arrives in London to discuss relations with UK, EU

EU Affairs Minister Ömer Çelik is set to arrive in London today for a three-day official visit from Sept. 12 to Sept. 14.During the visit, Çelik will meet British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Minister of State for Europe and the Americas, Alan Duncan, the EU Affairs Ministry confirmed in a statement.

They will discuss the latest developments in Turkey's relations with the U.K. and the EU, the Brexit process, the fight against terrorism and other opportunities for cooperation.

Çelik will also come together with some prominent figures working against Islamophobia in the U.K. and will attend a conference at the Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, on the future of Europe.

Her will also talk to major media organizations.

The association agreement between the EU and Turkey began in 1963 when Turkey and the European Economic Community (EEC) signed the Ankara Agreement, also known as the Agreement Creating an Association. It was aimed at Turkey's accession to the EEC and later paved the way for accession talks with the EU.

Ankara applied for the EEC membership in 1987, and accession talks began in 2005. However, negotiations hit a stalemate in 2007 because of disagreements on Cyprus. The German and French governments have been opposed to the country's full EU membership.

Only 16 policy chapters have been opened out of a total of 35 since negotiations began 54 years ago. The latest, Chapter 33 on financial and budgetary provisions was opened in accession talks.

Çelik has previously called on the EU to unblock Chapter 23 on judicial and fundamental rights and Chapter 24 on justice, security and freedoms to accelerate the accession talks.