Türkiye expects the European Union to offer a brand-new vision that will strengthen Türkiye’s membership process, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday.
“Global developments unfolding show that Türkiye-EU cooperation is important. The bloc should have an approach without any prejudices toward Türkiye, which would benefit us both,” Fidan told reporters at a joint news conference with the EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, in the capital Ankara.
Kallas is visiting Türkiye for the first time since taking office last December. She and Fidan held a meeting earlier that focused on Turkish-EU relations, identifying areas for progress, and addressing critical regional developments, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the situation in Gaza and Palestine, and the stability and reconstruction of Syria.
Cooperation on energy, regional security and migration were also on the agenda.
“Identity politics to win more votes replaced rational foreign policy in Europe and this put an end to our EU membership process that is based on merit,” Fidan said, arguing the bloc should push past these and “use rationality.”
Türkiye has been a candidate for EU membership for over two decades, but talks stalled in 2016 over what Ankara says is the bloc’s “insistence on politicizing the issue.”
Türkiye suggests it has fulfilled most of the criteria for membership. Though the accession process stalled, the country has remained a key economic and defense partner for the 27-member bloc.
Türkiye and the EU should organize high-level sectoral meetings and the Partnership Council meetings should be revived, Fidan continued, noting the sides should be making use of permanent consultation mechanisms.
He also said he urged the EU to initiate the negotiations for renewing and updating the customs union and provide certain facilitations with regard to visa liberalization for Turkish citizens.
On migration, Fidan said the cooperation with the EU should be renewed in accordance with the realities and facts on the ground on the basis of equal burden sharing.
For her part, Kallas praised Türkiye as “one of EU’s most important partners as candidate country and major NATO ally playing a central role in European security.”
She praised collaboration on a wide range of issues, from trade to innovation to the fight against terrorism and “stronger than ever economic cooperation.”
She acknowledged lingering differences, naming the Cyprus issue and Russia sanctions, and argued that “shared goals provide the foundation” for more high-level dialogue and cooperation.
Fidan also urged the EU to lift sanctions imposed against Syria during the early days of the civil war and now cripple the country’s reconstruction efforts following the fall of Bashar Assad’s regime.
When asked about relations with the U.S., Fidan said Ankara expects to turn a new page in relations with the new U.S. administration of President Donald Trump and to resolve bilateral issues remaining from the previous administration.