"It would be a “grave mistake” for EU to push Turkey out of its expansion policy - Erdoğan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Monday said it would be a “grave mistake” for Europe to push Turkey out of its expansion policy. 

It would be a grave mistake for Europe, which claims to be a global force, to push Turkey out of its expansion policy, Erdoğan said during a joint news conference of the Turkey-EU summit in the Bulgarian city of Varna.

Our operations against terrorism not only contribute to the security of ourselves and the Syrians but also to the security of Europe, he said.

We now expect strong support [from Europe] on sensitive issues such as the fight against terrorism instead of rambling and unjust criticism, he added.

I hope that we together have taken the first step of restoring confidence between the EU and us [Turkey] today, but it is not enough to say that we took this step; it has to be taken in concrete terms.

We hope that we have left a difficult period in Turkey-EU relations behind, he said.

Speaking on visa-free travel for Turkish nationals within the Schengen area, Erdoğan said Ankara had submitted the necessary paperwork to the EU Commission in early February.

We told the EU side that its task should be completed as soon as possible, he added.

Addressing the Cyprus issue, he said “regardless of the course of the Cyprus issue, the equal involvement of Turkish Cypriots in decision-making on natural resources around the island is in accordance with international law.”

Speaking at the joint press conference, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker vowed to be a ‘guarantor’ of the continuation of Turkey-EU negotiations.

Juncker praised the success of the Turkey-EU refugee agreement as it showed “visible results”.

For his part, European Council President Donald Tusk stressed the good cooperation between Turkey and the EU in certain areas, although it “is going through difficult times”.

We reconfirm our readiness to keep up the dialogue and consultations and to work together to overcome current difficulties with a view to unleashing the potential of our partnership,” Tusk said, expressing his commitment to assist in this process.

He said the European Union “stands united behind the Republic of Cyprus regarding its right to explore and exploit its natural resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone”.

Reducing tensions is important in view of the shared objective of the successful reunification of Cyprus and for the benefit of both populations on the island, for Turkey, the European Union and for EU-Turkey relations, he added.

The summit was held under the leadership of Erdoğan, Tusk and Juncker.