Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is planning to open an office in Brussels by the beginning of next year.

According to Hurriyet Daily News, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ordered to study the possibility of opening of an office in Brussels during a Central Executive Board meeting of his party, which took place before the release of the European Commission’s progress report on Turkey on Oct 10.

The AKP’s unit in charge of external relations is currently working on the plan, with a comprehensive report analyzing the potential advantages and disadvantages of the move to be drafted and presented to Erdoğan. If the PM eventually approves the idea, the office will be opened by the beginning of 2013 at the latest.

Currently, two parties represented at the Turkish parliament have offices in Brussels: the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) and The Peace and Democracy Party’s (BDP).