Erdogan pledges to put EU ties 'back on track'

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday he wanted to improve relations with the European Union and was hoping for the same "goodwill" from the 27-nation bloc.

A more assertive Turkish foreign policy has rankled EU members, bringing disagreements particularly with Greece in the eastern Mediterranean and France in Libya and the Middle East.

But the Turkish leader has softened some of his toughest rhetoric and took a conciliatory tone in a televised meeting with EU ambassadors in Ankara.

"We are ready to put our relations back on track," Erdogan told the ambassadors.

"We expect our European friends to show the same goodwill."

Turkey and Greece this week agreed to address their long-standing dispute over maritime borders at so-called exploratory talks in Istanbul on January 25.

The meeting will be the first since negotiations between the two uneasy NATO neighbours broke down after 60 fruitless rounds stretching 14 years in 2016.

"We believe that the exploratory talks with Greece ... will be the harbinger of a new era," Erdogan said.

Erdogan added that he was open to better relations with Paris after months of personal feuds with French President Emmanuel Macron.

"We want to save our relations with France from tensions," Erdogan said.

Erdogan began to tone down his rhetoric after EU leaders decided last month to expand the list of Turkish targets for sanctions because of Ankara's "unilateral actions" in contested waters in the eastern Mediterranean.

The punitive steps could complicate Turkey's growing economic problems and shake Erdogan's popularity after 18 years of rule as prime minister and president.

But Ankara and EU officials are about to launch a rare round of shuttle diplomacy that could set their relations on a more cooperative course.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will visit Brussels on January 21 while European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Charles Michel are expected in Turkey by the end of the month.

Erdogan noted on Tuesday that Turkey's drive to join the European Union -- formally launched in 2005 but effectively suspended -- could gain fresh impetus after Britain's departure from the bloc.

"The uncertainty increased with Brexit could be overcome with Turkey taking its deserved place in the EU family," Erdogan said.

"We have never abandoned full membership (goal) despite double standards and injustice."

Turkey's accession talks have been sidelined by European concerns about Erdogan's human rights record -- especially the sweeping crackdown he launched after surviving a failed coup in 2016.

But Turkey's financial woes forced Erdogan to pledge to work more closely with foreign investors and to put market-friendly reformers in charge of his economic team late last year.

Erdogan has said repeatedly in the past few weeks that he wanted to "turn a new page" in relations with Western allies.

"It is in our hand to make the year 2021 a success in Turkey-EU relations," he said on Tuesday.