Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Tuesday’s high-level talks between senior officials of the European Union and Turkey did not appear to ease tensions over the detentions of opposition activists. European enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn expressed “very strong concern” about the detentions, while Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu defended it as a necessary part of his country’s fight against extremism, especially after the failed coup last year. The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said that Turkey “is still a candidate to join the bloc” despite deep concerns over eroding human rights in Turkey.