Cooperation between Turkey and the European Union will increase during the Czech Republic's term presidency within the bloc, Turkey's deputy foreign minister said Tuesday.
Within the scope of his visit to the Central European country, Deputy Foreign Minister Faruk Kaymakcı discussed Turkey's EU process and relations between Prague and Ankara with the Czech Republic's minister to the European Union, Mikulas Bek.
Outlining his contacts in the Czech Republic on Twitter, Kaymakcı noted that he and Bek discussed Turkey-EU relations, bilateral ties and a number of other topics. "We talked about EU enlargement, security, energy, migration and economic recovery, which will be on the Czech EU presidency agenda. Turkey-Czech-EU cooperation will increase during the Czech EU presidency," the Turkish official noted.
Kaymakcı stated that he also met with David Smoljak, chairperson of the Czech Committee on EU Affairs, and the members of the committee for a meeting in which Turkey-EU relations were discussed.
"We emphasized that reviving our EU process during the Czech EU Presidency would be in the interest of all parties," he said.
Kaymakcı stated that he and his Czech counterpart Ales Chmelar discussed Turkey's EU process and regional issues, especially relations between the two countries, adding that they agreed to develop cooperation in all fields and revive Turkey's EU process.
The deputy foreign minister also attended a roundtable meeting held at CEVRO Institute, a civil think tank in Prague, and exchanged ideas in an array of fields.
"We continue to patiently explain the importance of Turkey's EU membership," said Kaymakcı.
Before heading to the Czech Republic, Kaymakcı also held political consultations in Slovakia's capital Bratislava on Monday.
Turkey has a long history with the European Union and the longest negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement with the EU's predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC), in 1964, which is regarded as a first step to eventually becoming a candidate. Applying for official candidacy in 1987, Turkey had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. Turkey then had to wait another six years for negotiations to begin in 2005, a uniquely long process compared to other candidates. Since then, the process seems to have stalled.
