Remarks by President Donald Tusk during his visit to Turkey
The visit to Gaziantep on 23 April will be led by President Donald Tusk i accompanied by European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans i. German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel i will also participate. The objective of the visit is to take stock of the implementation of the 18 March EU i-Turkey joint statement and discuss the next steps. Wider EU-Turkey cooperation will also be on the agenda.
The trip will offer an opportunity to assess the situation with regard to the refugees in Turkey. Projects financed by both the EU and Turkey will be visited. Disbursements from EU's newly established Facility for Refugees in Turkey are ongoing and the identification and planning for further projects has intensified.
The programme, starting in the afternoon, will include a visit to a refugee camp and a visit to a Child Protection Support Centre. Leaders will also participate in an inauguration ceremony of EU-Turkey assistance projects, including a joint press conference, together with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu i. Finally, there will also be a leaders' meeting.
Stay updated on the latest information, photos and tweets from the trip on President Tusk's webpage