Erdogan Discusses Turkey's EU Membership Issue

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the Republic's relations with the European Union during a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as he attempts to gain full membership to the Union for nearly 20 years.

Erdogan called on the EU to show "legal approaches" regarding Turkey, stating that the success related to regional challenges largely depends on strengthening ties between Ankara and Brussels, according to a statement from Turkey's presidential administration after the negotiations.

Turkish authorities had previously announced that the country's full membership in the EU is Ankara's strategic goal. Negotiations for Turkey's EU membership have been ongoing since 2005 and have been suspended multiple times.

One of the obstacles in the negotiation process is the issue of Cyprus. To date, of the so-called 35 chapters in the negotiation dossier, 16 have been opened.