'Turkish citizens deserve visa-free travel to EU'

By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet and Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - Turkish foreign minister on Tuesday said Turkish citizens deserve visa-free travel to the EU and that the government continues to work on that.

"Our citizens deserve visa-free travel to Europe. We continue our works to get this unjust requirement lifted," Mevlut Cavusoglu said at a joint press conference with other ministers after 5th Meeting of the Reform Action Group in Ankara.

Speaking about funding for Syrian refugees, Cavusoglu stressed there are significant delays and disruptions in the EU funding for refugees in Turkey.

He foreign minister also criticized the EU’s decision to cut Turkey’s pre-accession assistance.

"If they [EU] think that they are punishing Turkey, they are wrong," Cavusoglu said.

When asked about the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, he said several foreign ministers at G20 summit agreed to jointly apply for international probe into the killing.

Referring to the situation in northern Syria, Cavusoglu said if the U.S.'s aim is to train YPG terrorists, it is “profoundly wrong and betrayal to region which Turkey cannot tolerate.”

Speaking at the news conference, Justice Minister Abdulhamit Gul said Turkey plans to unveil Judicial Reform Strategy Document in Jan. 2019.

A statement released after the meeting said both EU and Turkey will benefit from early beginning of negotiations to update Customs Union.