A SIGNIFICANT THRESHOLD CROSSED FOR VISA FREE TRAVEL TO THE EU

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis released a written statement on the European Council Conclusions and indicated that a significant threshold was crossed for visa free travel to the EU.

In his statement, Bagis indicated the followings:

The Council of the European Union has given the European Commission the mandate to initiate the visa liberalization process with the final objective of lifting the Schengen visa requirement for Turkish citizens.  This mandate is a significant step that will allow visa free travel of Turkish citizens to EU Member States.

This is a milestone in the process for abolishing the unfair visa regime that has been applied to Turkish citizens by EU Member States, as a result of the policies of politicians who lacked vision following the coup d'état in 1980.

The concerted, steadfast and determined efforts undertaken by all our public institutions under the coordination of our Prime Minister, in particular the Ministry for European Affairs, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, especially Ahmet Davutoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for the Interior, have significantly contributed to the attainment of this critical stage.

I would like to thank all representatives from the private sector, civil society organizations, and universities who have contributed to these efforts with their support and assistance, as well as all Turkish citizens who have engaged in the legal struggle for the abolishment of the unfair visa regime for the achievement of this favorable development.

Our determination, the economic performance of our country and the firm stand taken on this issue by our people have played an important role in overcoming concerns and prejudices in EU Member States and will continue to do so.

In the next stage, we expect the EU to keep its promises and adopt an approach that allows the process to advance and be concluded on the basis of fair and objective criteria when determining and assessing the requirements that Turkey is expected to fulfill.

In order to enable visa-free travel for our citizens, we have been and will continue to be committed to this issue, along with all relevant public and private institutions and organizations.

I believe that this significant step taken towards visa-free travel will also contribute to Turkey’s EU accession process and closer integration between societies.