President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said there is no justification for obstructing Türkiye's EU accession process, as he said the country's full membership is essential for the bloc's peace and security, as he addressed the fifth European Political Community (EPC) summit in Hungary's capital Budapest Thursday.
"There is no reasonable justification for blocking the EU accession process of a candidate country like Türkiye, which has long made significant contributions to the prosperity and security of Europe," the president said. He continued by pointing to the challenges and consequences of the war in Ukraine, saying that the continuation of the war leaves less and less room for diplomacy.
The president said he conveyed Ankara's "messages to open space for diplomacy" in separate meetings with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha in recent weeks.
European leaders are attending the fifth EPC summit to discuss global issues, including Ukraine and the Middle East.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is hosting the meeting, where attendees are also discussing irregular migration and issues related to Europe's economic security.
Erdoğan met several leaders on the sidelines of the summit.
In his meeting with European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen, Erdoğan discussed Türkiye-EU relations and Israel's attacks on Palestine.
"The meeting addressed the Türkiye-European Union relations and Israel's attacks on Palestine," the Presidential Communications Directorate wrote on X.
"A stronger EU-Türkiye partnership will benefit our shared region. We can champion peace, prosperity, and security across borders," Von der Leyen wrote on X. She added that such an alliance would bring advantages not only at the diplomatic level but also for the people of both regions.
In his meeting with the Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, Erdoğan said the two countries continue to strive to enhance cooperation initiatives in the fields of boosting trade volume, defense industry, green and digital transformations and energy. The president told Schoof that Türkiye strives to become a full member of the European Union and that the revival of the accession process and updating the Customs Union would also benefit the bloc. He continued by highlighting that Ankara also strives to establish permanent peace throughout the world, including Ukraine, Palestine and Lebanon, as he said international cooperation was necessary to stop Israeli aggression.
