Italy urges Turkey's friends in EU to help jumpstarts talks

Italy has led calls to give a fresh boost to Turkey's membership talks with the European Union, saying on Monday at a meeting with other EU countries supporting Turkish accession that more efforts are needed to stave off rising anti-EU sentiments in Turkey ahead of June's parliamentary elections, when populist rhetoric is expected to soar. The EU must promote a strategy "aimed at recreating, in the runup to the elections, the very credibility and attractiveness of the EU in the eyes of both Turkish citizens and political leaders," Italy said in a paper presented on the sidelines of an EU foreign affairs meeting for the Turkey Focus Group, an informal caucus made up of Italy, Britain, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Spain and the EU Commission, German news agency DPA reported. Italy also urged the EU to speed up talks to open the competition and energy chapters with Turkey to revive long-stalled talks between Ankara and the bloc. The document also requested that the EU make more efforts to abolish visa requirements, something Turkish officials have sought for years. The EU and Turkey recently concluded talks over a readmission agreement, the primary obstacle preventing the EU from eliminating visa requirements for Turkish nationals. The paper also proposed that the EU regularly involve Turkey in EU foreign policymaking, amid Turkey's increasingly assertive role in the Balkans and the Middle East. "We want to invite Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to the next Gymnich [informal EU foreign ministers talks on March 11-12 in Budapest] to talk about North Africa and the Middle East," said an Italian diplomat.