Problems in visa applications not political, but due to practical reasons: EU ambassador

Hande Fırat - ANKARA

Head of the European Union Delegation to Türkiye Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut said the recent rejections in Schengen visa applications of Turkish citizens were mainly due to fake and incomplete documents.

There has been a serious increase in visa applications worldwide after the lockdowns of the pandemic and this increase caused some problems in visa processing in practice and prolonged waiting times, the ambassador told daily Hürriyet.

“I have to make one point very clear. We are facing practical problems that we are trying to solve; it is not a political issue. We see an increase in rejections because we see more forged documents and incomplete applications,” he said.

Most Turks are complaining about an increasingly harsh stance from the western diplomatic missions over their visa requests.

Türkiye has been critical towards the EU member states that Turkish citizens, such as students and businesspeople, face serious problems with the duration of their Schengen visa applications during their trips to European countries. The missions have been considerably prolonging the visa appointment dates and making the process more difficult by demanding excessive amounts of documentation.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu earlier said the Western nations, mostly the European Union countries and the United States, deliberately complicate and prolong the visa procedures for Turkish nationals.

The minister said the envoys of these states would be summoned and urged. “We will summon the ambassadors of the Western countries and make necessary requests. If they don’t correct this, then we will take counter measures,” he said in August without detailing what actions can be taken.

On Oct.6, the member states of the European Union and 17 countries that are not members of the union but have different relations with the EU will come together at the European Political Community meeting in Prague.

The ambassador reiterated that Türkiye is a prominent candidate for EU membership, but there are also other countries whose membership is not on the agenda, but the meeting in Prague was needed to focus on common interests and values.

“The biggest candidate at the EU gate is Türkiye. But do not forget the waiting Balkan countries. The other problem is Ukraine. The EU is afraid that the possible membership of Ukraine, Moldova and even Georgia will put the EU and Russia against each other,” he said.

Asked why the EU always regards Greece as justified, the ambassador said the Alliance has consistently called for de-escalation and dialogue and good neighborly relations in the Mediterranean.

“The EU will of course show solidarity with its member state,” he stated.