Statement by Vice-President Schinas and Commissioner Johansson following their visit to Ankara, Turkey

Source: European Commission (EC) i, published on Friday, December 6 2019.

Vice-President Margaritis Schinas i and Commissioner Ylva Johansson i held a constructive round of talks with the Turkish authorities today in Ankara. They were received by President of the Republic Recep Tayyip Erdoğan i, Vice-President Fuat Oktay, Minister of the Interior Süleyman Soylu, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Director for EU i Affairs, Faruk Kaymakcı and Deputy Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, CHP Ankara MP Levent Gök.

Turkey is hosting the largest refugee population in the world. Vice-President Schinas and Commissioner Johansson reiterated their steadfast commitment to delivering the already committed support under the Facility for Refugees in Turkey.

The visit was an occasion to show concretely that the EU is committed to continuing its engagement and cooperation with Turkey as a key strategic partner and neighbour. The start of the new political cycle in the EU is an occasion to renew that commitment, and the visit, which took place in the first week of the new Commission taking office, is testament to this.