ANKARA — President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan pushed for a tangible and immediate improvement in relations between Turkey and the European Union during a meeting with Ursula von der Leyen that was focused on Syria's transition of power and the fate of refugees.

Turkey was declared a candidate country to join the bloc back in 1999 but, after going through multiple ups and downs, the membership bid was put on a standstill in 2018 due to continued democratic backsliding and repression of fundamental rights.

Since then, Brussels has tried to foster closer ties with Ankara due to the country's strategic and economic value while keeping the accession process firmly in the freezer.

"There is a need, more than ever, for stronger and more institutional relationship between Turkey and the EU," Erdoğan said on Tuesday afternoon, speaking next to von der Leyen at the end of their meeting in Ankara.

"We can advance our cooperation with a win-win formula."

Erdoğan called directly on EU leaders, who are set to meet on Thursday for a one-day summit, to lift "all restrictions" in bilateral relations, restart high-level political dialogue (suspended since 2019), update the EU-Turkey customs union (in the works since 2016) and speed up visa issuance as a prelude to visa-free travel, a long-held goal by Ankara.

The summit's agenda does not feature Turkey as a relevant topic of discussion.

"Our common interests should not be captive to the limited agendas of some members," the president said, in an apparent reference to Greece and Cyprus, the two member states with whom Turkey has had historically strained ties.

His comments built on Turkey's prominent role in the region, which has been vastly enlarged following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's autocratic regime. Turkey is the main backer of the Syrian National Army, an opposition group based in Northern Syria that took part in the offensive that toppled Assad, and is acting as an intermediary between Western allies and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the rebel force leading the transition of power.

Additionally, Turkey hosts an estimated 3.2 million Syrian refugees.

As a result of this influential stand, Erdogan has received a raft of high-level guests over the past few days, including Ursula von der Leyen, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

"Recent developments have further reinforced Turkey's position as a key country," he said in a press statement that took no questions from the press.

Mindful of the stakes at play, von der Leyen sought to keep Erdoğan happy without making promises that her executive might not be able to deliver. "Our relationship is as rich as it is complex. But one thing is clear: it is moving forward," she said.

Von der Leyen's most notable announcement was an additional €1 billion to support Syrian refugees in Turkey, which can be adapted "as things evolve on the ground." (Since 2011, the EU has provided Turkey with nearly €10 billion in migration assistance.)

The €1 billion can be also used to manage the return of Syrian refugees to their home country, something that member states are already discussing internally. Von der Leyen stressed that volatility in the post-Assad era made forceful deportations impossible.

"The lack of predictability demands utmost caution," she said. "One thing is very clear: all returns must be voluntary, safe and dignified."

The Commission chief promised to resume negotiations on a "modernised customs union" with Turkey but noted that "progress will require stronger efforts" to remove trade barriers. She mentioned visas only in passing.

"Türkiye's legitimate security concerns must be addressed," she said, referring to the need to avoid a resurgence of terrorist groups in the post-Assad era.

Von der Leyen tackled two key topics that Erdoğan completely avoided: the evasion of EU sanctions on Russia, which Ankara has been accused of enabling, and the reunification of Cyprus. Turkey is the only country in the world that recognises the northeast portion of Cyprus, known as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

"There is a lot of work ahead of us," she said at the end of her intervention.

"I look forward to continuing our good cooperation both in supporting a Syrian-led and a Syrian-owned political transition and in deepening the relationship between Türkiye as a candidate country and the European Union."

Tuesday's meeting took place hours after the Wall Street Journal reported that US officials are growing increasingly worried that Turkey might soon launch a "full-scale incursion" into territory held by Syrian Kurds, who are backed by Washington.

A Commission spokesperson did not comment on the news report itself but said Syria's "territorial integrity" had to be respected. — Euronews