Page 13 - bne IntelliNews 26th May

Southeast Europe
May 26, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 13
Frosty atmosphere as Erdogan holds Brussels talks with Juncker, Tusk
bne IntelliNews
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on May 25 held Brussels talks with Council of Europe President Donald Tusk and European Commis- sion head Jean-Claude Juncker on the margins of a Nato summit in a bid to mend ties, which were described by the media as “frosty”.
Relations between Turkey and the EU soured after the failed coup attempt last summer, and further deteriorated during the April referendum cam- paign in Turkey when Erdogan threw “Nazi” jibes at EU member states including Germany and the Netherlands when they refused to let his party officials from campaigning to the Turkish diaspora in those countries.
“We discussed the need to cooperate. I put the question of human rights in the centre of our discussions with Erdogan,” Tusk tweeted following a 45-minute tripartite meeting. Tusk, however, did not provide further details.
Erdogan later held a separate 30-minute meeting with Juncker.
“Major issues of common interest were discussed in detail in a good and constructive atmosphere,” said a spokeswoman for the Commission, Reuters reported.
According to the newswire, the atmosphere in Brussels “was frosty” and the three men ex- changed no words in public when Erdogan posed for photos with Tusk and Juncker.
Brussels has voiced concern over the mass ar- rests and purges directed at alleged supporters of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen whom
the Ankara government says masterminded last year’s bloody attempt at a putsch. Turkey has to date seized or appointed an administrator to a total of 879 companies worth TRY40.3bn (€10bn) in assets since the failed coup attempt July last year, the country’s Savings and Deposits Fund (TMSF) said on May 24. However, Ankara accused Brussels of not showing enough support after the foiled attempt at a coup.
Erdogan, Tusk and Juncker discussed the func- tioning of the key Ankara-Brussels migrant deal, according to Reuters. The EU and Turkey inked the agreement in March 2016 in an effort at stem- ming flows of illegal migrants to the European continent. As part of the deal, the EU promised to fast-track EU membership talks, ease visa rules for Turkish citizens and grant more financial aid.
Erdogan has repeatedly called on the bloc to hold to its part of the deal. He has threatened to cancel the agreement if the EU fails to keep its promises.
The agreement did not appear to be in jeopardy after the talks between Erdogan, Tusk and Junck- er, EU officials told Reuters. “It is working so far. We didn't see any sign of it changing,” one EU official said.
It is interesting to note that the three men did not hold a joint press conference after the talks in