Erdogan: Visa Liberalization Is Turkey’s Top Priority

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has emphasized that achieving visa liberalization with Schengen countries remains Turkey's top priority. He made this statement during the sixth meeting of the Reform Action Group (RAG) on Europe Day, May 9, which he chaired for the first time.

“We need to focus more on structural reforms to strengthen our economy. Accelerating these reforms will boost international investor confidence and drive our economic momentum,” President Erdogan stated.

According to a press release from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Turkey remains fully committed to EU membership, despite political obstacles in the negotiations. The ministry highlighted Turkey's ongoing efforts to align with EU standards.

“The finalization of the Visa Liberalization Dialogue process, which will allow our citizens to travel to the Schengen area without a visa, is our first priority. During this meeting, we agreed to speed up the process of meeting the remaining benchmarks. We have outlined the steps to be taken in the coming period to complete the Visa Liberalization Dialogue, which will benefit our citizens in many areas, including the economy,” the press release stated.

The release also noted Turkey's success in controlling irregular migration and preventing loss of life. “The number of irregular migrants crossing into the European Union is at its lowest level in the last five years, thanks to Turkey's efforts. Europe's welfare and security begin at Turkey's eastern borders,” it added, urging the EU to fulfill its commitments under the March 18 EU-Turkey Statement.