On Thursday 22 November, HR/VP Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, were in Ankara for the High Political Dialogue between EU and Turkey. Among other topics, they exchanged with  the Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu on issues such as cooperation on migration and counter terrorism, energy, economy, and transport. HR/VP Mogherini said: “Turkey is a candidate country and a key strategic partner for the European Union. We salute the Turkish decision to intensify relations with the EU, which is important also for the region”. However, Mogherini and Hahn raised their concerns about the political situation in the country, especially about the arrest of journalists, human rights defenders and civil society activists, the respect of fundamental right, and the rule of law.  Mogherini added:  “We are aware of scars left by the attempted coup, but are concerned about the detentions. We hope Selahattin Demirtaş will be released soon”. The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday 20 November that Turkey should swiftly process the legal case of Demirtaş saying that his pre-trial detention had gone longer than could be justified.