Turkey, which has been seeking to join the BRICS, an emerging economic bloc led by China and Russia, is holding its first high-level trade dialogue with the European Union (EU).
According to Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency on the 8th (local time), the Turkey-EU high-level trade dialogue will take place in Brussels, Belgium, on the same day. Turkish Trade Minister ?mer Bolat and Valdis Dombrovskis, the EU Executive Vice President for Trade, will co-chair the meeting.
Both sides plan to review progress on trade issues such as green and digital matters and discuss ways to enhance cooperation. They are also expected to discuss visa issuance issues for Turkish citizens traveling to EU countries and ways to expand the customs union.
Previously, Turkey had been pursuing EU membership since 2005, but negotiations have been deadlocked for about 20 years. As a member of the Western military alliance NATO, Turkey officially began accession talks after becoming an EU candidate country in 1999, but negotiations were suspended following human rights concerns after the 2016 coup attempt.
President Erdo?an expressed dissatisfaction last September, stating that "if necessary, we can part ways with the EU," and recently showed interest in joining BRICS. Last month, Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s Foreign Minister, revealed that Turkey is negotiating with BRICS, the emerging economic bloc led by China and Russia.
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