On Thursday, Turkey welcomed the efforts and statements of the European Union aimed at strengthening the positive climate that has emerged recently between Ankara and the bloc, but rejected criticism of its operations in the eastern Mediterranean after the escalation of tension in the region due to a dispute with Greece, a member of the Union.
Earlier Thursday, the leaders of the Union fulfilled a pledge announced in 2016 to gradually and proportionately strengthen cooperation with Turkey, stressing that it is in the Union's interest to cooperate with Ankara on the basis of mutual interests.
European Union leaders asked the European Commission to find out how to improve cooperation with Turkey on the issues of people-to-people contacts and travel.
A statement by the Union praised Turkey's reception of about 4 million Syrian refugees on its territory, pointing to the leaders' consensus on the need to assist the countries receiving Syrian refugees, such as Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon and the rest of the countries in the region.
The bloc criticized Turkey for its record on human rights and the rule of law.
For its part, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it hopes that mortgaging the steps that the Union intends to take with conditions, and postponing implementation to the bloc's summit next June, will not lead to the loss of the positive momentum.
The ministry also accused the European Union of violating international law, describing the Turkish operations in the eastern Mediterranean as illegal.