By Agnes Szucs
BRUSSELS (AA) – Foreign ministers of European Union have gathered in Brussels on Monday to discuss Turkey and international issues in an actual meeting for the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The bloc’s relationship with Turkey is "the most important item on the agenda today,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told journalists before the meeting.
“The relationship with Turkey is not especially good at this moment,” he added.
EU sources confirmed last week that ministers would discuss the future prospects of the 2016 EU-Turkey agreement on migration, as well as disagreements over Turkey’s territorial and energy exploration rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, France’s alleged claims on Turkey’s harassing one of its vessels taking part in a NATO mission.
“Turkey is an important partner, but there are issues to discuss,” Slovakia’s top diplomat Ivan Korcok said.
The official was looking forward to hearing more about Borrell’s negotiations with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu which took place last week. Korcok was convinced that “it was a good move to go to Ankara.”
