Attending a conference of foreign ministers on European Union enlargement and reforms Thursday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said their ambition to join the bloc has not changed.
Fidan was among the top diplomats at the meeting in Berlin. When Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström asked about his opinion during a panel on enlargement, the Turkish minister said their EU perspective has not changed and it was significant that EU members launched a new discussion on enlargement, “under new geopolitical circumstances and with a new spirit.”
The minister recalled it has been over 50 years since Türkiye first applied for EU membership. He highlighted that the period between 2004 and 2008 has been “the busiest” in Türkiye’s EU path. “Chapters were opened and closed successively, until the day (it stopped), until Türkiye’s EU membership was frozen due to geopolitical reasons,” he said.
Under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Türkiye took significant steps to fulfill the criteria for membership of the 27-member bloc, while Ankara heightened bilateral relations with EU states. Yet, continuing tolerance of the EU for terrorist groups threatening Türkiye led to a deterioration of ties. Differing views on other issues further eroded trust between the two sides, although Türkiye and the EU remained major trade partners.
It was Erdoğan, again, proposing a revival of ties as he attended a NATO summit in Vilnius last summer. The EU welcomed Erdoğan’s proposal, but a scathing report by the European Parliament critical of Türkiye angered Ankara, and Erdoğan has stated that they might reconsider the accession bid.
“It has been almost 15 years and the necessity of enlargement, again, with geopolitical reasons, is being discussed. I believe we can have a very constructive contribution to this discussion,” Fidan said.
Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Latvia and Sweden have called for closer political dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Türkiye regarding areas of common interest.
Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins told Anadolu Agency (AA) that his country is supporting closer ties with Türkiye.
"Türkiye is already a very valued NATO ally and cooperation with Türkiye is very crucial. It's a very good and strong ally," he said.
Karins said Türkiye's progress toward EU membership is in the interest of both sides.
"Certainly, if Türkiye enacts all of the reforms, I think this would be very good for Türkiye itself, and of course for the EU," he said.
"All the formats in the EU that we have, where there are invited friends and partners, are actually good meetings," he said, adding that such informal meetings offer a platform for frank exchanges and discussions.
"There's an opportunity to speak to each other, just to understand one another better and to look for ways to more strongly cooperate. Because the world is unfortunately not becoming any safer or more secure. It seems to be going right now a little bit in the opposite direction."
Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said his country is supporting closer political dialogue and cooperation between the EU and Türkiye.
"In Vilnius, Sweden signed a statement, together with Türkiye and NATO, saying that we will act positively on behalf of Türkiye, and we are going to do so," he told AA.
Billstrom said the EU and Türkiye are already closely cooperating in a number of important areas, and they want to further enhance political and economic ties for the benefit of both sides.
"There are many instances, both when it comes to security and also when it comes to migration, and also when it comes to trade, where we have this relationship," he said, adding that there are several areas where they can focus now to boost cooperation.
He specifically mentioned the expectations for modernizing the EU-Türkiye customs union and visa-free travel for Turkish citizens.
"Two items I really would like to highlight, which are also mentioned in the statement from Vilnius, are, of course, both the question of visa liberalization and also the question of customs issues. About these, Swedes are positive toward the development between the EU and Türkiye," he said.
On Türkiye's stalled EU membership talks, Billstrom said Sweden supports this process, but much will depend on Ankara's progress in meeting the political and economic criteria for full membership.
"This is, of course, a merit-based process. It's always a relationship where the country that wants to become a candidate, who wants to join the EU, has to fulfill certain criteria. But we are very positive, as Sweden, when it comes to such a development," he said.
