President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman said Saturday that membership of the European Union remains a strategic priority for Turkey, reports said.

Ibrahim Kalin reportedly urged EU leaders to ditch their ideological and political biases and see relations with Turkey through a “strategic mindset.”

He added that Ankara was prepared to hold exploratory talks with Athens, reports said.

Kalin’s comments were made during talks with EU officials in Brussels ahead of the bloc’s summit on December 10-11.

Reports said Kalin held separate meetings with Maryem Van den Heuvel, chief foreign policy advisor to the president of the European Council Charles Michel, Bjoern Seibert chief of staff of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Helga Schmid, the secretary general of EU external action service.
Kathimerini