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Turkey still five steps away from visa liberalization: Germany

Tuesday, 02 August 2016 6:59 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 02 August 2016 7:10 AM ]

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (photo by AFP)

Germany says Turkey is yet to implement five benchmarks determined by the European Union (EU) in order for Turkish nationals to qualify for visa-free travel to Europe.

“There are clear conditions, of which Turkey has still not fulfilled five and therefore the EU can’t make a decision on the issue of visa liberalization at this point,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in Berlin on Monday.

“Turkey still has to do some work, and whether they will do this or not under the current conditions remains to be seen,” Steinmeier said, apparently referring to the tensions between Ankara and the EU, and Turkey’s refusal to implement at least one of the requirements, namely narrowing down its anti-terrorism laws.

Back in March, the two sides signed an agreement to stem the flow of irregular refugees into Europe. Under the deal, Turkey has committed to taking back all the asylum seekers and refugees who have used the Aegean Sea to illegally reach Greece. In return, Ankara has been promised financial aid, the acceleration of visa liberalization talks and progress in its EU membership negotiations.

The two sides have been negotiating a sub-deal under which Turkish nationals would be allowed visa-free travel to Europe. Efforts to reach that deal, however, have been hampered by Turkey’s refusal to revise the anti-terrorism laws, which the EU says are too broad.

Turkey is required to meet a total of 72 conditions for the visa restriction to be annulled. In mid-July, the EU decided that Ankara had met 67 of those conditions.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has recently threatened that Turkey may back away from the refugee deal with the EU if the visa waivers are not promptly granted.

The EU has also been critical of Turkey over a recent crackdown on suspects believed to have been connected to a July 15 botched coup. One area of particular concern for the EU is the Turkish government attempts to reintroduce the death penalty to provide for the execution of putschists.

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