EU cites progress on visa-free travel talks with Turkey
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a rally marking the 563rd anniversary of the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul - formerly Constantinople - in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, May 29, 2016. Erdogan has criticized the United States, Russia and Iran for their presence in Syria and said their unwillingness to depose Syrian President Bashar Assad was contributing to Syrian peoples' massacre and pain.(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel) (The Associated Press)
The European Union says Turkey is making progress on measures that need to be passed before visa-free travel to the EU can be instituted.
Turkey must meet 72 conditions to get the visa waiver. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuses to change Turkey's anti-terror laws to do so. The visa offer is part of a deal to persuade Turkey to stop migrants coming to Europe. Erdogan has said the deal could collapse if the Europeans renege on visas.
The EU reported progress on three of five outstanding issues on Monday, but said the anti-terror legislation and technical standards on biometric passports remained an issue.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}To boost talks, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said that "it was decided that our EU minister travels to Brussels in the coming days."