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Top EU officials seek improved ties, positive agenda in meeting with Erdogan

Focusing on economic cooperation, migration and human rights, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel sought to improve EU-Turkey ties during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on April 6.
EU President of Council Charles Michel (R) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (L) give a joint press after a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 9, 2020.

ISTANBUL — In a rare visit to Ankara on April 6, top European officials sought to improve troubled EU-Turkey relations through a positive but conditional agenda in a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel outlined a dual framework, which, if sustained, offers incentives that would increase trade and cooperation on migration between the EU and Turkey, though both officials highlighted concerns regarding domestic human rights developments.

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