EU officials said von der Leyen and Michel wanted to lay out the terms for Erdogan on which they expected to build better relations with the bloc's strategic southeastern partner. "Human rights issues are non-negotiable," said von der Leyen. Turkey received millions of euros in aid under the 2016 agreement and von der Leyen said she was prepared to update the deal's terms. And we have come to Turkey to give the relationship a new momentum," von der Leyen stressed. The Turkish presidency said Erdogan "noted that the EU should not allow some member states to hijack Turkey-EU ties".

Source: The North Africa Journal April 06, 2021 16:07 UTC