A window of opportunity to restore ties between Turkey and the European Union has opened, EU Ambassador and head of the bloc's delegation to Turkey Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut said Tuesday, underlining that this opportunity should not be wasted and both sides must live up to mutual expectations to rebuild confidence in this "fragile process."

"I believe that there is a window of opportunity because we have seen decisions on both sides – in the European Council and the European side in December, which opened the way for a possible positive agenda, as well as decisions and declarations made by the Turkish side, which is also engaging in the sense of a positive agenda," Meyer-Landrut told Daily Sabah in an exclusive interview. "Now, there are expectations on both sides, and we have to work in the upcoming weeks to make these expectations match."

"We have seen over the last two years or 2 1/2 years the areas of cooperation reducing rather than increasing. Now we need to rebuild confidence, rebuild cooperation, from which further steps can be taken," the ambassador pointed out.

He said that the current atmosphere could expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest as well as mutual importance, "but this will be a gradual process."

Meyer-Landrut said he is positive regarding the outlook of Turkey-EU ties, stating that the establishment of different communication channels will be helpful in finding common ground.

The year 2020 proved particularly difficult for relations between Turkey, which remains an official candidate for EU membership, and the European Union, as tensions increased over maritime zones and drilling rights in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Both sides say there is the political will to improve relations, yet bilateral issues including the Cyprus issue, migration, accession negotiations and the fight against terrorism remain top agenda items to be addressed.

"Different fora which need to deal with the issue (of the Eastern Mediterranean) start to function again," Meyer-Landrut said, noting that following a five-year hiatus, Turkey and Greece on Monday in Istanbul resumed their first exploratory talks since 2016, the 61st of their kind, to address their disputes.

"This is very important because, in the end, neighboring countries will have to agree among themselves how to proceed and how to solve these kinds of issues. Secondly, we have seen strengthened engagement from both sides in the NATO talks," he added.

As exploratory talks resumed, differences remain. While Athens only wants to address the demarcation of maritime zones in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, Ankara says all issues should be tackled, including airspace and the status of some Greek islands in the Aegean.

As another stage for dialogue, NATO members Turkey and Greece participated in deconfliction talks last year, initiated by Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Those meetings were designed to reduce the risk of incidents in the Eastern Mediterranean. The talks facilitated the establishment of a hotline between Athens and Ankara, allowing for conflict resolution at sea or in the air.

Regarding the issue of the divided island Cyprus, which remains at the heart of the problems in the Eastern Mediterranean, the envoy said that there is a willingness on all sides to resume informal talks under United Nations auspices.

"What we are witnessing right now is that diplomacy takes over again and that different issues are dealt with in the adequate fora," Meyer-Landrut said, indicating that though this does not solve all issues in one day, it will create an "environment and negotiation frameworks in which progress is possible and solutions can be reached in a foreseeable future."

Migration issue

The issue of migration remains another vital area of cooperation between Ankara and Brussels.

In March 2016, Ankara and Brussels signed an agreement to reduce the number of migrants taking the dangerous Aegean Sea route to Europe and to find a solution for the influx of migrants heading to EU countries.

Under the deal, Turkey was promised 6 billion euros ($6.77 billion) in financial aid to be used by Ankara to finance projects for Syrian migrants. Yet, Turkey did not undertake the difficult task of shouldering increasing migration from Syria only for the sake of financial assistance but has also demanded visa liberalization for Turkish citizens; likewise, the customs union was to be updated. Yet Turkish authorities state that almost five years have passed since the signing of the deal and that it needs an update in accordance with current conditions.

Noting that the EU said it will continue providing financial assistance to Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey, Meyer-Landrut said: "Now, we will have to work out the details. At this stage, there is a political commitment, but there is not yet a detailed approach how to do this."

Communicating the EU's appreciation for Turkey’s efforts in hosting around 4 million refugees, the ambassador said, "it is a huge challenge especially in a pandemic when you have the socioeconomic consequences of that."

Turkey, EU suffered from terrorism

On the other hand, Turkey has also been calling on the EU for further support in the fight against terrorism.

Stressing that the fight against terrorism is a matter of concern for all countries, given that both Turkey and the EU have suffered from terrorist attacks, Meyer-Landrut stated, "We understand the sensitivity and the importance of the fight against terrorism."

He said dialogue among the relevant authorities of Turkey and EU member states is needed to see how the fight against terrorism can be improved.

A point of disagreement that remains is the arrest of businessperson Osman Kavala and pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP)'s former co-Chair Selahattin Demirtaş, charged with terrorism-related offenses. The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled last month that Turkey should immediately release Demirtaş. He and his party are often criticized for their open support of the terrorist group PKK, which is responsible for the killings of thousands of people in Turkey since the early 1980s.

Regarding the issue, Meyer-Landrut said the EU expects Turkey to respect the judgments of the court and did not further comment on the HDP’s ties with the PKK, saying these are "internal political developments in Turkey" and that he is "to deal with EU-Turkey relations."

Expectation management

Meyer-Landrut stated that though it is a fragile path, "expectation management" and a gradual process could pave the way for enhanced ties, noting that the bloc and Turkey are intertwined in their histories and geography.

Regarding bilateral relations, the ambassador said, "Look on the map and think about history," referring to the closeness of Turkey and the European continent and their connected past.

He said that the Republic of Turkey and its predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, have always been part of the common space. "History is there, geography is there, commonality of interests exists but we have to make them become real for the citizens so that they can see that these are not only political and academic discussion rather something that brings real advantage," Meyer-Landrut said.

"We need to come back to appreciate what we have been doing and succeeding in building together," he said.

"What I am discovering here is that there are so many areas of practical cooperation in the economy, research, universities and health, where cooperation is very dense and really in the mutual interest. Success is something that we will have together. There are many areas on which we can build," he continued, saying that the fundaments of this relationship are perhaps better than the political conjuncture at times might make it look.

"There are certain things which we naturally have a common interest in, in which we can naturally benefit mutually, so I hope that a more pragmatic approach will help to build the next steps," he said.

Economic ties

Saying that in its October and December statements, the EU indicated that the modernization of the customs union could be an important element in the positive agenda both sides are working on, Meyer-Landrut highlighted the significant bilateral economic ties between the bloc and Ankara.

"If you look at the economic success of the customs union in the last 25 years – this is something which is a huge success story for both sides. The Turkish economy today in areas like automobiles, machinery, textile is part of the European chain of supply," he stated.

"Huge amounts of products from Turkey are exported into the common market. You are today closer linked to the common market in the EU than Britain," Meyer-Landrut said.

According to the European Commission, Turkey was the EU’s fifth-largest trading partner, export market and provider of imports in 2019 while the EU is Turkey’s No. 1 import and export partner.