The Turkish authorities have clarified that the country will not open its ports to Greek Cypriot vessels in exchange for Schengen visa facilitation with the EU for Turkish businesspeople.
Such a clarification was made following reports in the Greek Cypriot media saying that Türkiye was planning such a move to facilitate travel to the bloc for businesspeople, Schengen.News reports.
As Daily Sabah explains, the spokesperson of the Turkish Foreign Ministry, Öncü Keçeli, said that these reports are unfounded and highlighted that the country will not open its ports to Greek Cypriot vessels even if that means that Turkish businesspeople get to enjoy facilitated entry to the Schengen Area.
The claims reported in the Greek Cypriot press suggesting that Türkiye will open its ports to Greek Cypriot vessels in exchange for the facilitation of EU visas for Turkish businesspeople are entirely unfounded.
In addition to the above-mentioned, the spokesperson noted that Türkiye has not changed its position in relation to the rules it has in place for the Greek Cypriot administration.
The EU and Türkiye initiated formal negotiations on Schengen visa liberalisation in December 2013. The process gained momentum, especially during 2015 and 2016 amid the migration crisis, but the process has stalled due to disagreements between both parties and unfulfilled criteria.
Turkish Foreign Minister Calls for Progress on Schengen Visa Liberalisation
In addition to criticising the EU over the strict visa rules for Turkish businesspeoplethe Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, Hakan Fidan, has continued to call for progress on the Schengen visa liberalisation.
According to Minister Fidan, the current Schengen visa system is not sufficient and it does not meet the growing demandthus calling for the visa-free travel agreement to be reached as soon as possible.
The Minister also raised concerns about the high Schengen visa rejection rates that Turkish passport holders are facing.
He said that the ratio of approved and rejected visas has remained unchanged for years, despite the member states claiming that they are granting the most visas to Turkish citizens. At the same time, he emphasised that the visa process should “disappear”.
Visa Facilitation to Turkish Citizens a Top Priority, Ambassador Says
Following multiple concerns from Turkish citizens and authorities, the EU Ambassador to Türkiye, Thomas Ossowski, said that the Schengen visa facilitation is one of his top priorities.
The ambassador said that “it is not good” for Turkish citizens to wait for long periods of time to obtain a Schengen visa and emphasised that he is in contact with the member states and Turkish officials.
In the meantime, the ambassador said that the EU expects Türkiye to meet the remaining six criteria.