Austrian FM Kneissl calls for empathy with Turkey

Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl on Wednesday emphatized with Turkey, calling it a victim of terrorism.

"I do not want to gloss over anything, but despite all the criticism, you should also put yourself in Turkey's feet for five minutes," Kneissl said in an interview with German newspaper Welt, referring to terrorist attacks the country has faced over the last few years.

Kneissl said that one should "not forget what several terrorist attacks, such as in Turkey, do to a society".

"Despite this violence, people always manage to stand on their feet. I have a lot of respect for that," she said.

Regarding the improvement of relations between Austria and Turkey, the foreign minister expressed optimism over talks with her Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Kneissl said Turkey will allow Austrian archeologists to resume their excavation work in the ancient city of Ephesus in western Turkey.

"I am convinced that we will be able to achieve this by overcoming the deadlock in relations between Austria and Turkey," she added.

Turkey had halted excavation works, which had been ongoing for more than 100 years, in October 2016 due to the recent tension between the two countries.

The ties between the two countries had soured due to restrictions imposed by Austrian authorities on Turkish politicians who wanted to campaign in the country ahead of a key referendum in Turkey.

The relations improved when Kneissl paid a visit to Turkey in January this year and the two countries agreed to take some decisions to normalise relations during Cavusoglu's visit to the country in March.

- EU-TURKEY RELATIONS
Kneissl said Turkey's relations with the EU may resume, if Ankara makes some drastic changes.

"Of course, Turkey is still very important to the European Union, and we want to work well together," she added.

Turkey applied for EU membership in 1987 while accession talks began in 2005.

However, negotiations stalled in 2007 due to the objections of the Greek Cypriot administration in the divided island of Cyprus, as well as opposition from Germany and France.

To gain membership, Turkey has to successfully conclude negotiations on 35 policy chapters that involve reforms and the adoption of European standards.

As of May 2016, a total of 16 chapters had been opened and one concluded. However, in December 2016, the member states said no new chapters would be opened.