IKV Research Director Melih Özsöz attended on the 5th March 2014 to a panel entitled “Turkey’s Visa Negotiation Process with EU” in Antalya which was organized by the European Union Research and Application Center (AKVAM) in cooperation with the Administrative Science Faculty of the Akdeniz University.  In this context, Melih Özsöz gave a presentation on the Readmission Agreement signed between EU and Turkey on the 16th December 2013 and on the launch of the visa liberalization dialogue.  President of the Turkish Community in Germany, Kenan Kolat and President of Brussels-based European Academic Studies Center Mustafa Ulusoy also gave presentations at the panel.

Melih Özsöz, first presented the historical development of visa process experienced by Turkish citizens since 1980s and then tackled the legal, political, economic and commercial dimensions of the visa problem.  Within this framework, he shared some of the striking examples withdrawn from the “Visa Hotline Project” conducted by IKV, TOBB and ECAS (European Citizens Action Service). He also mentioned examples of legal cases and decisions taken by the European Court of Justice. In his presentation, IKV Research Director gave a special focus on the Social Case and Demirkan Case. Özsöz stressed the importance of pursuing with legal struggle. He further stated that the Readmission Agreement signed on the 16th December 2013 and the launch of the visa liberalization dialogue were a clear indication that Turkey and EU entering a new phase in this visa process.

Lastly, Özsöz gave more technical information in regard to this new phase. Within this context, he explained that the process which brought visa liberalization to five Western Balkan (Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina) countries in the years of 2009 and 2010 should be well and correctly analyzed. Comparing the road map of Turkey with that of the five countries, Özsöz stated that Turkey’s road map was more detailed than the previous ones. In this respect, Özsöz stated that the European Union should show the same openness, sincerity and transparency to Turkey as it did with the Balkan countries.  Melih Özsöz concluded by stressing that this visa liberalization process should not be seen as closed ended process, and it should be carried out in a parallel with Turkey’s EU accession negotiations.