(VOVworld) - Turkey and the EU resumed negotiations regarding Turkey's accession into the bloc on Monday, in particular on Chapter 17 regarding economic and monetary policy.
 Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek, European Affairs Minister Volkan Bozkir and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu speak during an EU-Turkey Intergovernmental accession conference at the European Council on December 14, 2015
(AFP Photo/Emmanuel Dunand)
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The EU's enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn said this was a good day for a negotiation resumption between Turkey and the EU. Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said in a press conference on Monday that the EU needs Turkey as a strategic partner in number of international areas such as migration, terrorism, energy, trade, and climate change. He also urged Turkey to stop trading oil with the IS.
Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkik said he hoped that Ankara’s accession process into the EU will be positive and reliable and other important chapters to Turkey will be open for talks shortly.
Out of 35 policy chapters, so far 15 chapters have been opened and 17 remain blocked. Accession negotiations with Turkey started in October 2005 and have been halted since then. In October, the EU proposed an action plan asking Turkey to prevent the migrant influx into Europe, which was considered a chance for Turkey to get closer to the EU.