AKIPRESS.COM - The Turkish minister for European Union affairs has told the BBC he is losing hope of getting a deal on visa-free travel for Turks within Europe, BBC reports.

Volkan Bozkir said changing anti-terror laws in Turkey would be impossible.

The EU insists that Turkey needs to narrow its definition of terrorism - as well as meet four other key criteria - to qualify for visa-free travel.

It is part of a larger agreement between the two sides aimed at easing Europe's migration crisis.

On Wednesday, Mr Bozkir told the BBC that his hopes of getting visa-free travel for Turkish nationals were "getting less and less".

He admitted that the negotiations had reached a crucial phase, stressing that Turkey had already done enough.

His comments came after a day of meetings with senior members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned the EU that Ankara would not change its anti-terror laws.

"We'll go our way, you go yours," he said.

The EU and rights groups have accused Ankara of using its broad anti-terror legislation to intimidate journalists and stifle dissent.

Ankara rejects this, saying it needs the laws to fight militant groups.