Erdogan to discuss Syria crisis with EU leaders

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will visit Brussels next Tuesday for talks with EU leaders on EU-Turkish ties and Syria. Erdogan will meet the President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso and discus Turkey's EU membership process and also the situation in Syria, Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, spokesperson of Barroso, told journalists here today. Erdogan will also be having a series of meetings in Brussels including the President of the EU Council Herman Van Rompuy, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and EU Parliament President Martin, she noted. Meanwhile, Peter Stano, spokesman for EU Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood policy Stefan Fulle, told journalists that "we are following very closely what is going on in Turkey," referring to corruption investigations, changes in the judiciary and sakcing of policemen. "We expect that the Turkish authorities will ensure that these allegations in corruption cases will be addressed without discrimination and in a transparent and impartial manner," he added.