Fidan calls von der Leyen’s remarks on Türkiye ‘unfortunate’

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated that recent remarks by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen were “unfortunate,” but confirmed that the issue has been addressed through diplomatic channels. Speaking at Oxford University, Fidan said: “The president’s remarks were unfortunate. We have the necessary communications, so I think we have fixed it, corrected.”

Context of the remarks

Fidan’s comments came in response to a speech von der Leyen delivered earlier this week in Hamburg, where she was marking the 80th anniversary of the newspaper Die Zeit. Addressing EU enlargement, she stated: “We must succeed in completing the European continent so that it is not influenced by Russia, Türkiye, or China.” The reference to Türkiye alongside Russia drew criticism from Ankara.

Diplomatic correction

Fidan did not elaborate on the specific diplomatic steps taken but emphasized that the situation had been resolved. Türkiye, a longstanding EU candidate country, has frequently voiced concerns over what it perceives as biased or exclusionary language from European leaders. Ankara continues to pursue constructive dialogue with Brussels despite occasional tensions.