Brussels, Belgium : EU President Donald Tusk headed for talks Tuesday in both Nicosia and Ankara as part of a bid to finalise terms of an EU deal with Turkey to curb the flow of migrants to Europe, EU sources said.
The president of the European Council, who will host a new EU-Turkey summit in Brussels at the end of the week, will meet early Tuesday in Nicosia with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, an EU source told AFP.
Tusk will then travel on to Ankara for talks later the same day with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who is due to attend the two-day summit starting on Thursday, the source added.
Under the draft deal, the EU agreed to resettle one Syrian refugee from camps in Turkey for every Syrian readmitted by Ankara from Greek islands.
But Cypriot officials said Anastasiades has reservations, not least as Turkey expects the accord to accelerate its bid for EU membership and ease visa requirements in Europe's passport-free Schengen area.
Ankara does not recognise the divided Mediterranean island's internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government and Cyprus has blocked six key parts of Turkey's negotiations for EU membership since 2009, effectively halting the process.
The island has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The president of the European Council, who will host a new EU-Turkey summit in Brussels at the end of the week, will meet early Tuesday in Nicosia with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, an EU source told AFP.
Tusk will then travel on to Ankara for talks later the same day with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who is due to attend the two-day summit starting on Thursday, the source added.
Under the draft deal, the EU agreed to resettle one Syrian refugee from camps in Turkey for every Syrian readmitted by Ankara from Greek islands.
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But Cypriot officials said Anastasiades has reservations, not least as Turkey expects the accord to accelerate its bid for EU membership and ease visa requirements in Europe's passport-free Schengen area.
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Ankara does not recognise the divided Mediterranean island's internationally recognised Greek Cypriot government and Cyprus has blocked six key parts of Turkey's negotiations for EU membership since 2009, effectively halting the process.
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The island has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired coup seeking union with Greece.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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