During the telephone conversation, which Erdoğan made in Tripoli during an official visit, Erdoğan told Van Rompuy that he believed his presidency would help carry existing relations between Turkey and the EU to a new height, as he expressed hope for the upcoming term in these relations, Anatolia said, without elaborating.
A five-year-old speech against Turkey’s EU accession process by Van Rompuy, who will take office as president in January, has led to concerns, since he had at the time suggested that Europe’s Christian “fundamental values” would be undermined by admitting Turkey into the union. Yet he made clear last week that from now on, as the EU president, his personal opinions did not matter as he would harmonize his views with the EU’s decisions.
Weeks ahead of a critical December summit of the EU, during which Turkey’s failure to honor its commitment to open its ports and airports to Greek Cypriot traffic will be reviewed, İstanbul will today host a meeting between Turkey and the EU Troika.
The meeting will bring together Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who will lead the Turkish delegation and will be joined by State Minister and chief EU negotiator Egemen Bağış, with the EU Troika, which consists of EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, and Diego López Garrido, secretary of state for the EU at the Foreign Ministry of Spain, the next EU term president.
