Brussels will host a meeting of foreign ministers of EU states on Thursday to exchange views on a series of issues, particularly the Russian-Ukrainian and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts. The meeting, relocated from Hungary, which holds the bloc’s rotating presidency, will now have a long-absent participant: Türkiye’s foreign minister. Hakan Fidan, who took office last year, will attend his first “Gymnich” meeting, as the talks, held every six months, are colloquially known.
Türkiye has been an official EU candidate since 1999 and launched membership talks in 2005. Yet, the process has been hindered by a series of obstacles, particularly the bloc’s differing views of the country on the continent’s southeastern tip. The EU enthusiastically engaged in dialogue with Türkiye regarding migrants and refugees, a headache for the bloc, and signed a deal in 2016 to alleviate flow from the country. On the other hand, Türkiye’s efforts for membership were stalled by countries siding with Greece and Greek Cypriots which, at times, openly opposed Ankara’s ambitions. Fidan’s visit comes at a time of warming relations between Greece and Türkiye.
Brussels also often brings up the issue of human rights in the process despite Türkiye’s denial of poor human rights records as cited in numerous reports presented to the bloc by rapporteurs.
"We consider the EU's invitation (to attend the meeting) as a search for dialogue with regard to our calls to revive relations with Türkiye," a Turkish diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Wednesday.
Ankara hopes Thursday's meeting will help open dialogue channels.
Fidan is expected to meet with senior EU officials in Brussels, including foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and enlargement commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.
"It will be in favor of both sides to improve relations in the face of regional and global challenges," the diplomatic source said.
"Türkiye’s clear stance on the Cyprus issue will once again be explained to the EU side."
On Cyprus, the EU has opposed calls from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for a two-state solution and wants to see Ankara allow new U.N.-mediated talks.
EU member Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Türkiye launched a peace operation against the Greek Cypriot massacres of Turkish Cypriots, encouraged by the Greek military junta. The statehood of the republic Turkish Cypriot leaders proclaimed in 1983 is recognized only by Ankara.
Fidan's talks with his European counterparts will also focus on a new customs union and an easing of visa rules for Turkish citizens.
The Turkish minister is also expected to meet with his Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis on the margins of the gathering.
Türkiye's relationship with the bloc began in 1959 with the signing of the Ankara Agreement, aiming at gradual economic integration between Türkiye and the European Economic Community (EEC), the precursor to the EU. This marked the start of a long-term vision of convergence and potential future membership for the country.
In 1999, Türkiye's aspirations took a concrete step forward when it was granted official candidate status for full EU membership. This decision was met with enthusiasm and caution within the EU, reflecting the mixed nature of integrating a large and culturally diverse nation like Türkiye.
Formal accession negotiations commenced in 2005 during the term of the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) government led by Erdoğan, who still governs the country after successive election wins. These negotiations involved a comprehensive assessment of Türkiye's alignment with the EU's acquis communautaire, a vast body of laws, regulations and policies that form the bloc's foundation. The process involved opening and then provisionally closing individual chapters, each representing a specific policy area, upon fulfilling the established criteria.
However, the road to membership proved challenging. Progress on the negotiations was slow. By 2016, only 16 of the 35 chapters had been opened, and only one had been provisionally closed. By 2018, the accession talks reached a standstill. The EU expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of progress on key issues, while Türkiye criticized what it perceived as double standards and a lack of commitment from the EU. This resulted in a de facto suspension of the accession process, leaving the future of Türkiye's EU membership uncertain.
Despite the stalled negotiations, the relationship between the bloc and Türkiye remains multifaceted. Both sides continue to cooperate on various issues of mutual interest. This ongoing engagement, though not directly linked to the accession process, demonstrates the different nature of their relationship.
Since the start of the 2023 summer, Ankara and the bloc have been working to rekindle ties, which, for many years, have operated not toward mutual trust and strategic goals but only out of necessity.
After the presidential and parliamentary elections concluded in May 2023, Brussels shifted its rhetoric from “the importance of cooperation with Türkiye” to “continuing relations on a strategic and forward-looking basis.” The bloc emphasizes strategic interest in developing relations with Türkiye based on cooperation and mutual benefit.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said last week that Ankara hoped the meeting would form the basis to overcome the "deadlock" from 2019, adding it showed the EU recognized the need to improve ties, too.
"We welcome this invitation. We evaluate it as a search for dialogue from the EU," Keçeli was quoted by the media, adding that cooperation and dialogue with the bloc must be on a "continuous and systematic" basis and strengthened in a "sustainable and predictable" way to improve ties.
He added the bloc's positive approach should not be limited to such meetings, saying Ankara expected "concrete steps" on the issues of its accession, visa liberalization for Turks, talks to modernize a customs union with the EU and on deepening dialogue on economic, political, transportation and energy matters.
Türkiye has good ties with Hungary, which took over the EU's rotating presidency on July 1 and has previously said it hopes Budapest's presidency will yield progress on these issues.
