Turkey seeks visa-free travel in Europe

The core of Europe's visa regime, called Schengen, is based on two agreements from 1985 and 1990. The countries in the Schengen arrangement are Belgium, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Liechtenstein and non-EU members Norway, Iceland and Switzerland. The UK and Ireland, although members of the European Union, are not part of the Schengen agreement. A Schengen visa obtained for one country is good for all countries in the arrangement. Visa requirements in Schengen zone countries were abolished on Saturday for citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia.
Turkey began accession talks in 2005, but is not a part of the Schengen regime that allows free movement across borders. Davutoğlu held a joint press conference on Saturday following a meeting of the Reform Monitoring Group (RİG), which consists of the justice minister, the foreign minister, the interior minister and the chief negotiator for EU affairs. Turkey will speed up efforts for the free-movement of its citizens within the EU, Davutoğlu told reporters.
The EU agreed on Dec. 8 to begin negotiations with Turkey on one new policy area, or chapter, but kept eight others frozen because of Turkey's failure to comply with a 2005 agreement to open its ports and airports to EU member Greek Cyprus.
Turkey has opened 11 out of 35 chapters since starting talks, and Turkish officials have expressed frustration over what they consider slow progress in membership negotiations; Kazinform cites Today.Az. See www.today.az for full version.