PH
Ankara wants to accelerate talks on granting its citizens easier access to the EU in a process known as visa liberalisation. This is conditional, however, on the country abiding by an agreement with the EU that allows for the repatriation to Turkey of illegal immigrants.
Ankara is also pushing to be included on a so-called safe list of countries whose citizens are unlikely to qualify for asylum in the EU, according to the diplomats. The move is controversial, however, given Turkey’s human rights record.
