Türkiye has once again said that it wants to reach a visa-free travel agreement with the EU and that it will not give up its goal of becoming a central European country.
The EU Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Oliver Varhelyi, was in Ankara yesterday, where he held talks with the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan.
During their meeting, Minister Fidan emphasised once again that the country is committed to tightening its relations with the EU, SchengenNews reports.
While it was not mentioned in their joint press conference, it is believed that behind closed doors, Minister Fidan required Commissioner Varhelyi that the EU take further steps in easing travel to the bloc for Turkish passport holders.
A day before their meeting took place, reports said that Türkiye will continue to push for a visa liberalisation agreement with the EU.
In addition to requiring the EU to make it possible for its nationals to be able to enter the Schengen Area without the need to apply for Schengen visas, Minister Fidan said during the press conference that Türkiye will not abandon its historical journey of becoming a central country in Europe.
As Daily Sabah explains, Minister Fidan said that Türkiye will continue working on accessing the EU even though some member states are blocking the process.
We will not abandon our historic journey and strategy of becoming a central country just because they do not opt for [our EU accession].
Türkiye’s accession talks started back in 2005, with the country having the longest accession process in the history of the union.
The talks have stalled in the last years due to some disagreements between the two parties and some political roadblocks.
16% of Schengen Visa Applications Filed by Turkish Nationals in 2023 Were Rejected
Turkish nationals filed a total of 1,055,885 Schengen visa applications in 2023, ranking as the second-largest group of applicants.
However, not everyone received a visa approval. Schengen Visa Statistics show that Schengen member states rejected 16 per cent of all visa requests filed by Turkish nationals in 2023. More specifically, the member states rejected visas for 169,500 applicants.
These numbers may come off as surprising as Türkiye wants to get a visa exemption.
The rejection rates for Turkish visa applicants have consistently increased since 2015. The not issuance rate in 2015 stood a 3.9 per cent, whereas in 2023, this rate stood at 16.1 per cent.
In 2023, the member states issued a total of 867,646 Schengen visas to Turkish nationals. Of these issued visas, 612,841 of them were multiple entry visas.
