Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan joins legislators elected to the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye in the May 14 parliamentary elections and attend their first parliamentary session to take the oath, in Ankara, Türkiye, Friday, June 2, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

ANKARA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday highlighted the necessity of promoting dialogue for Türkiye's accession to the European Union (EU) in a phone talk with Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

"It is necessary to increase contacts at all levels with a concrete and positive agenda in the direction of Türkiye's full membership to the EU, which has great strategic value for Europe," the statement quoted Erdogan as saying.

Erdogan also underlined the importance of updating the customs union agreement between Ankara and Brussels, ensuring visa-free for Turkish citizens within the EU

The EU's "fair treatment and supportive perspective" for Türkiye's full EU membership would open up new horizons in relations between Ankara and the block, the statement said.

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During the phone conversation, Erdogan also underlined the importance of updating the customs union agreement between Ankara and Brussels, ensuring visa-free for Turkish citizens within the EU, and strengthening bilateral cooperation on migration management and counterterrorism, it added.

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Türkiye started accession talks with Brussels in 2005, which have been at a standstill for several years following a prolonged state of emergency declared by Erdogan in the wake of a botched coup aiming to topple his government in 2016.