A senior European Union official said on Sunday that the bloc will discuss the issue of visa liberalization for Turkey as early as autumn. The official’s statements come amid an anticipated process in Ankara’s accession negotiations with the EU.

Last month, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced ahead of the NATO summit that they expected the EU to restart the accession talks after Turkey “cleared the way” for Sweden’s membership in NATO.

An EU official, who wished to remain anonymous, told Daily Sabah that the outcome of the debate on this issue was uncertain, but Turkey remained a candidate and a “key country” with objectives similar to the EU in various fields.

Erdoğan stated last month that they expected positive steps from the EU regarding visa liberalization and the Customs Union after the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Mentioning that the president’s advisor, Akif Çağatay Kılıç, was in Brussels for negotiations, Erdoğan told reporters upon his return from Vilnius that he hoped the outcome of the negotiations would be in favor of Turkey.

Erdoğan emphasized that Turkey had fulfilled its promises regarding the bloc, adding that he wanted to see tangible results of negotiations conducted on favorable terms as soon as possible.

As it is already known, Turkey has the longest history with the EU and the longest negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement with the EU’s predecessor, the European Economic Community (EEC), in 1964, which is often seen as the first step towards eventual candidacy.

After applying for official candidacy in 1987, Turkey had to wait until 1999 to be granted candidate status. However, Turkey had to wait another six years until 2005 to begin the negotiations, which was an exceptionally long process compared to other candidates.