Ankara, Feb 8 (IANS) Turkey said on Wednesday it had met all 72 criteria set by the European Union to secure visa-free travel for Turkish citizens to the 28-nation bloc.
Turkey has fulfilled all criteria and submitted related documents to the European Commission ahead of an EU-Turkey summit in March, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said at a press conference in Ankara, Xinhua reported.
Kalin said he hoped that the visa-free travel would be implemented in 2018, adding that it would give "a fresh momentum" to Turkish-EU relations.
As a part of an agreement signed in 2016, the EU gave Turkey a list of 72 criteria to fulfil for visa-free travel for Turkish nationals, in return, Turkey should prevent illegal migrants from crossing to Greece from Turkey.
The EU has said that Turkey has completed 69 of the listed criteria, but needs to change its terrorism laws, to ensure the laws are not used to crack.
Kalin said that Turkey has made the necessary adjustments to its terrorism laws, which would not hamper its fight against terrorism.
