Turkey is now willing to accept the liberalisation of travel visa rules with the European Union (EU) by the end of the year instead of October, as previously targeted, the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag said on Sunday, citing senior Turkish government sources. Ankara had threatened to walk away from an EU refugee deal should it not get more relaxed travel rules in October, but Turkey's EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik downplayed that prospect on Saturday after a meeting with EU officials. Welt am Sonntag quoted senior Turkish officials familiar with the EU talks as saying that a delay until November or December was now seen as acceptable. However, Turkish officials were still insisting on securing visa liberalisation "no later than the end of the year," the newspaper said. The EU worries Turkey applies its anti-terror laws too broadly in order to go after critics of Erdogan.

Source: dna September 04, 2016 04:16 UTC