EU chief says Turkey should meet visa terms, ignores threats

BRUSSELS – European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker says the EU expects Turkey to respect all conditions to secure visa-free travel for its citizens and has rejected what he called threats from Ankara.

Juncker said at the Group of Seven summit Thursday that “we do expect that Turkey will stick to its commitments.”

Turkey must meet 72 conditions to get the visa waiver. But President Recep Tayyip Erdogan refuses to change Turkey’s anti-terror laws to do so.

The visa offer is part of a deal to persuade Turkey to stop migrants coming to Europe. Erdogan has said the deal could collapse if the Europeans renege on visas.

Juncker said “threats are not the best diplomatic instrument you can use —so one should stop to use them, because they will produce no effect whatsoever.”