“WE GOT OUR VISA FOR A VISA-FREE EUROPE”

“We got our visa for a visa-free Europe” said Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Egemen Bagis and added “Fortunately, all those countries who have been making it difficult for Turkish citizens to get a visa have finally realized that they have been putting themselves in a difficult situation. The European Union should be the destination of friendship without borders, not of confinement”.

Speaking at the 73rd meeting of the Turkey-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee held at the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Bagis said that the TGNA, as the heart of democracy, centre of freedom and manifestation of national sovereignty had been, particularly in the last 11 years, the greatest driving force behind Turkey’s EU process and turned into a reform catalyst of the country.

Minister Bagis underlined that the Turkey-EU relations gained a new momentum following a new chapter that was opened after three and a half years, the most objective and balanced Progress Report published in the recent years, and the latest concrete steps taken in the visa liberalization process.

Minister Bagis said "Today, we share the happiness and excitement of an historical development regarding the visa issue. Yes, we can finally say that we got our visa for a visa-free Europe. According to the common Road Map on which we agreed, Turkish citizens will be able to travel to Schengen region with no visa requirement in three to three and a half years. With the expression of my dearest friend Füle, this is a progress by which we moved beyond “hopefully” to “finally".

Underlining that visa exemption would be a just as effective step as the opening of all chapters in negotiations with the European Commission, and Turkey's accession to EU, Bagis said: "Fortunately, all those countries who have been making it difficult for Turkish citizens to get a visa have finally realized that they have been putting themselves in a difficult situation. The European Union should be the destination of friendship without borders, not of confinement. Turkey wishes to see and be a member of a union which does not isolate itself by putting up visa walls, but instead opens its doors to friendship and cooperation".

“If we open just one chapter at every 3,5 years, Turkey will not take off after the EU membership again for another 70 years” said Bagis noting that while the opening of the 22nd chapter in the EC negotiation process was a significant development, it was not enough and .no more time should be wasted to open new chapters for negotiation, in particular 23rd and 24th chapters.

Source: AA