Brussels wants to "continue to cooperate" with Turkey

The European Union wants to "continue to cooperate" with Turkey, despite tense tensions in Brussels's relations with Ankara, the leaders of the EU have said today after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
"We discussed the need for cooperation, I raised the issue of human rights at the heart of our debates," said European Council President Donald Tusk after a meeting attended by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
The latter also had a one-hour private meeting with Erdogan after the tripartite, as a Commission spokesman said. "The EU and Turkey must and will continue to work together." Important issues of common interest have been discussed in detail in a good and constructive climate, she added.
According to sources from the Turkish Presidency, the trilateral meeting emphasized the need to fully implement the 2016 immigration agreement. Turkey agreed in March 2016 to help mitigate migratory flows to Europe and in exchange for Brussels to abolish the visa For Turkish citizens who want to visit European countries. But the EU is calling on Ankara to move ahead with the reform of its counter-terrorism legislation.