Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ömer Çelik Evaluated the Agenda

Minister for EU Affairs and Chief Negotiator Ömer Çelik, who was in Tallinn, Estonia, for an official visit, evaluated the agenda and responded to the questions.

With reference to the discussions to be held at the EU Summit on financial assistance to Türkiye, Minister Çelik said that this would only further extend a detrimental approach.

Minister Çelik said:

“This is my expectation from the EU Summit. We do not want to hear any negative statements on Türkiye. I hope that we will not. If there is an awareness of Türkiye’s importance and a desire for more dialogue and cooperation with Türkiye expressed in the summit conclusions, this will no doubt benefit all concerned.”

Minister Çelik, who also evaluated the prospects for the opening of Chapter 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and Chapter 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security), said that the opening of chapters was the essence of cooperation with the EU.

Minister Çelik also said that it would be to take advantage of EU negotiations to criticise Türkiye and yet refuse to open these chapters.