The upgraded role of Turkey in Syria is recognized by the European Commission, ahead of the meeting that its president, Ursula von der Leyen, will have next week in Ankara with Turkish President Erdogan.

“Turkey is one of the key players in the region,” Commission spokeswoman Paola Pinho said today when asked about von der Leyen’s trip to Ankara.

“Von ner Leyen’s visit was decided following the communication she had with President Erdogan,” said P. Pinio, noting that the issues to be discussed will be the situation in Syria and what the developments in that country signal for the wider region. After the telephone conversation they had two days ago, the President of the Commission and President Erdogan decided to meet in person to have a “more in-depth discussion on these issues,” said P. Pinio, however, refrained from giving more details.

As for the date of von der Leyen’s visit to Ankara, the Commission spokeswoman said it would take place early next week, but the exact day has not yet been determined. When asked if the President of the Commission will be accompanied by the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa and/or the High Representative of the EU, Kaya Kalas, the same representative replied that at the moment there are no such plans. The P. Pinho did not rule out the possibility of the Commission President making further trips to the region, but nothing concrete has been planned for now.

It is recalled that two days ago, the representative of the Commission on foreign policy issues, Al Anwar, had underlined that “Turkey will be a key factor to ensure stability in Syria and an inclusive political transition”. The same representative had pointed out that the EU “calls on all external actors to respect the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Syria”. Finally, he noted that Turkey’s “legitimate concerns” about security in the region should be addressed while allowing all Syrians in all regions, including Kurds, to enjoy security.