Turkey and the European Union have signed agreements starting talks for a possible deal that would lift visa restrictions for Turkish citizens traveling to Europe.
Under the agreements signed today in the Turkish capital Ankara, Turkey would in turn, agree to take back immigrants who illegally enter the EU from Turkish territory.
The deals on visa-free travel and the re-admission of immigrants come weeks after the EU resumed membership negotiations with Turkey that had been stalled for more than three years.
Turkey began accession talks in 2005 but progress has been slow, mainly due to Turkey's dispute with Cyprus. The island had been split since Turkey invaded in 1974 following a coup by supporters of union with Greece.
