Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan gave assurances to the European Union to respect the rule of law, judicial independence and the separation of powers amid the government’s move to draft a controversial judicial bill

The US reiterated Tuesday that the goal of the Geneva II conference, scheduled to begin on January 22 in Switzerland, is to fully implement fully the Geneva I Communique, including “a transitional government based on mutual consent.”

The next European Commission report on Bulgaria’s progress will be issued in about a year, the EU executive has decided on Wednesday morning, its spokesman confirmed.