Commissioner Damanaki in Turkey to discuss maritime and fisheries issues

Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Maria Damanaki will travel to Ankara and Istanbul from the 6th to the 9th of October, to discuss both fisheries and maritime affairs and pursue closer EU-Turkey cooperation in the shared goals of a sustainable marine environment and a sustainable an prosperous fishing environment, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to EC.

Upon arrival in Ankara tonight she will meet with Turkish Minister for Agriculture and Rural affairs on Fisheries policy Mr Mehdi Eker. On Thursday, she will start the day with a breakfast meeting with Prof Ahmet Davutoglu, Minister for Foreign Affairs, after which the Commissioner will proceed to the Ministry of Transport headquarters to discuss maritime policy with Transport Minister Binali Yıldırım.  In Istanbul, Thursday afternoon will include a meeting with representatives of the maritime private sector.

On Friday, the Commissioner will deliver a speech at the maritime faculty of the Istanbul Technical University on shaping the future of Europe's fisheries and maritime communities for the better and the shared agenda of Turkey and the EU as regards maritime policy in the Mediterranean and Black Sea. She will also highlight the importance of the on-going reform of the EU's Common Fisheries Policy and the need for fully science-based decisions and full commitments to improve control and compliance and reduce the overcapacity of fishing fleets at home and abroad. She will underline the necessity of applying these principles in international fora like ICCAT, when it comes for example to shared recovery aims for bluefin tuna. At the end of her visit, Ms Damanaki will have meetings with the Turkish Fisheries Associations and then with NGOs to discuss topical issues.