Erdogan hopes EU tensions are in past

EU membership

During the meeting, the possibility of intensifying relations between Turkey and the EU has been discussed, Erdogan said.

Turkey's application for EU membership was filed in 1963, but Turkey was still only a candidate for membership, and therefore a step has to be taken to speed up the negotiation process, Erdogan said.

The fight against terrorism was another very important issue, and the anti-terrorist operations that Turkey has been conducting helped to secure the Turkish citizens, Erdogan said. That is why Turkey should not be criticized for conducting these operations, he said.

Juncker said that Turkey should be a true strategic partner of the EU, and the both sides should maintain sincere and honest dialogue.

He was the guarantor that Turkey's EU membership talks would continue, Juncker said.

However, Turkey needed to improve its relations with the EU member states, especially Cyprus and Greece, he said. "This is absolutely necessary for us to make progress," Juncker said.

"The EU and Turkey have to go hand in hand, and together to move forward," he said.

Borissov added that this channel of dialogue should continue to work.

"I think that maybe by the end of Bulgaria's EU presidency in June we will hold another meeting," Borissov said.

Xinhua