Fidan meets senior EU officials to discuss Türkiye-EU relations

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Tuesday received senior European Union officials in Ankara to address the full spectrum of bilateral relations, ranging from foreign policy and connectivity to trade, migration, and visa issues, according to Turkish diplomatic sources. Fidan hosted EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, and European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner during the second day of their two-day visit to the Turkish capital.

Strategic priorities

Reiterating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's recent remarks on Türkiye's EU bid, the foreign minister emphasized that membership remains a strategic goal for Ankara. He expressed readiness to strengthen relations based on this understanding, noting that the discussions also covered regional and global developments including the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

'Objective criteria'

"We expect the EU to advance its relations with Türkiye on the basis of objective criteria and merit, without discrimination," Fidan said on the social media platform X. He added that the joint visit by three senior commissioners represents an opportunity to elevate ties to the desired level, stating: "We hope that this joint visit to Türkiye by three senior members of the European Commission will mark an important step toward bringing Türkiye-EU relations to the level we desire."

NATO summit

The delegation's arrival on Monday preceded a NATO summit scheduled to convene in Ankara on July 7-8, Turkish diplomatic sources said. The high-level engagement comes as Ankara continues to press for progress on long-standing visa liberalization discussions and customs union modernization.