- The EU relies on NATO member Turkiye’s assistance, particularly with migration issues.
- Ankara views the EU’s invitation to Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as an effort to foster dialogue.
- The meeting will include discussions on visas and modernizing the EU-Turkiye Customs Union.
Turkiye’s foreign minister hopes to advance the improvement of Ankara’s strained relationship with the European Union on Thursday, when he attends a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels for the first time in five years, according to a source from his ministry.
Turkiye’s bid to join the EU, which has been ongoing for two decades, remains frozen due to the bloc’s concerns over its human rights record and disputes related to the eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus. Meanwhile, the EU relies on NATO member Turkiye’s assistance, especially with migration issues.
In 2019, tensions between EU-member Greece and Turkiye led Brussels to threaten sanctions against Ankara and sever some dialogue channels. Since 2021, relations have improved, with high-level talks resuming.
Ankara viewed the EU’s invitation to Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as an effort to foster dialogue, according to the foreign ministry source. They added that deeper ties, with the recognition that Turkiye is a candidate country, would benefit both sides.
Fidan will convey Turkiye’s expectation that the “necessary will must be shown and concrete steps must be taken” to strengthen ties, the source said.
The meeting will include discussions on visas and modernizing the EU-Turkiye Customs Union, the source added. Ankara has been pushing for these talks to begin for months, but progress has been slow.
Fidan will hold separate talks with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, the bloc’s commissioner for enlargement Oliver Varhely, and his counterparts from Greece, Spain, Belgium, and Slovakia, the source said. The agenda will also include discussions on Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East, the Southern Caucasus, and other issues, the source added.
The visit comes as Ankara repeatedly criticizes its Western allies for what it describes as their unconditional support of Israel in the conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza.
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