Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has underlined the country’s determination to make progress in its EU membership process.

Speaking to members of his ministry on Tuesday, Cavusoglu also said the foreign ministry will be merged with Turkey’s EU Affairs Ministry to follow up the work “under one roof.”

The Turkish foreign minister made the statements a day after President Tayyip Erdogan was sworn in as president with new executive powers, keeping Cavusoglu in his position in the cabinet.

In late June, the EU said talks with Turkey to potentially accept Ankara’s accession to the bloc have reached a deadlock over alleged Turkish rights violations and judicial failures, including mass arrests and dismissals and targeting journalists, academics, politicians, rights defenders and social media users.

The EU, however, noted that Ankara remained a “key partner” for the Western bloc on matters such as aiding to block the persisting stream of refugees and asylum seekers into Europe.