With top European Union officials in Ankara ahead of next week's NATO summit, the recurring issue of Europe's long-promised visa liberalisation scheme was likely hovering over the talks as frustration grows in Turkey over Schengen visa delays and rising rejections.Guney Hazan, a 19-year-old student, was one of the lucky ones. "Finally!" he shouted after ripping open the envelope containing his passport to find a Schengen visa affixed, opening the door to a university exchange programme in Germany. "Even though all my documents were in order, I was anxiously awaiting the result. You never know these days," he told AFP.With demand rising and a mounting backlog, applicants routinely face a long and anxiety-inducing wait that can also be very expensive. "It's become torture for us. We feel like third-class citizens," said a 25-year-old waitress after dropping off her paperwork, asking to remain anonymous for fear that her visa application for France might be turned down. "They used to give me a five-year visa, but now I'm only allowed a two-year one. In the meantime, my application has been denied twice without any explanation," she said."It's because of the situation in Turkey," her friend said. "Since Europe doesn't approve of Turkey's policies, it doesn't want its citizens either," she said, also asking to remain anonymous. In recent years, concerns have spiralled over declining political and civil freedoms under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, prompting growing numbers of often younger people to look West for better opportunities, observers say.Risk of asylum claims