EU plans summit with Turkey

The heads of European Union institutions were given a mandate to plan a possible summit meeting with Turkish leaders in the coming months, Council President Donald Tusk said after the EU summit on Thursday (15 December). According to Euractiv, he EU would be represented by Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. Tusk stressed that Brussels still had much to discuss with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his government, notably an agreement that has helped curb flows of refugees to Europe and changes to the Turkey-EU customs union.

Meanwhile, as Anadolu Agency reports, Turkey's refugee camp for Aleppo civilians gathers pace. Turkey will set up 10,000 tents for Aleppo refugees at camps in the Syrian city of Idlib, president of the Turkish Red Crescent told Anadolu Agency on Friday.

Kerem Kinik said the Turkish body had begun building the tent city using heavy-construction equipment some 6 to 7 kilometers (around 4 miles) away from the Turkish border near the southern Hatay province. He said the tent city would be built as soon as possible.The Turkish Red Crescent is also preparing to increase the capacity of the refugee camps as reports surface that the number of people evacuated from Aleppo could reach up to 50,000, he added. He said the camp near the Turkish border would host rest areas, school, health center, mobile toilets and bath facilities.

Relations have become frosty with the EU since a failed military coup in July that has been followed by a crackdown on Erdoğan’s critics. Ankara says it is “fed up” with European Union condescension in talks over its application to join the bloc. Moreover, the Turkish government repeatedly criticises the EU for harbouring “terrorists”, be they Kurds or followers of the exiled preacher Fetullah Gülen. But EU leaders have said they need to maintain dialogue with Ankara. Diplomats have said that either a conclusion to negotiations to grant Turks visa-free travel to Europe, or moves to expand the customs union could be a reason for a summit.

Juncker recently said that “a different orbit”, as an alternative to EU membership, could be invented for Turkey and the UK. Turkey says that the EU must make its mind, because it has “alternatives”. Diplomats believe that despite harsh statements from the Turkish side, and enlargement fatigue in the EU, neither Turkey nor the Union have an interest in exacerbating tensions.