Fidan to attend EU meeting on security and connectivity in Brussels

Fidan heads to Brussels

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will travel to Brussels on Monday to attend the Second Ministerial Meeting on Interregional Security and Connectivity, held within the framework of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council. According to diplomatic sources, the meeting is expected to bring together Fidan, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and foreign ministers from EU member states. Representatives from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are also expected to attend, and political issues related to regional connectivity are due to be addressed.

Connectivity on the agenda

Fidan is expected to express Türkiye's readiness to contribute to regional connectivity projects and to expand cooperation in the field, drawing on the advantages of its geostrategic location. He is also due to underscore the need to reassess Türkiye-EU relations on a realistic, results-oriented basis that can deliver tangible progress amid increasingly interconnected global challenges. Regional connectivity will be highlighted by Fidan as a potential area for constructive cooperation between Türkiye and the EU, along with the importance of resuming high-level dialogue meetings on transport and energy.

The Turkish foreign minister is further expected to address the opportunities that major connectivity initiatives — including the Middle Corridor, Development Road, Three Seas Initiative and Global Gateway — present for facilitating global trade and economic integration. He is likely to reaffirm Türkiye's position that different connectivity routes should be viewed as complementary rather than competing projects, contributing to global prosperity.

Black Sea security a top issue

Participants are expected to discuss the strategic importance of the Black Sea, the regional security situation, grain trade, maritime transport, hybrid threats and the protection of critical infrastructure during the meeting's second session, “Advancing Security Commitments for the Black Sea Region.” The session will also focus on measures aimed at strengthening regional stability.

Fidan is due to share Türkiye's assessment of the ongoing war in Ukraine and its implications for Black Sea security, emphasizing the importance of regional ownership in maintaining stability. He is also expected to underline the critical role of the Montreux Convention for the Turkish Straits in preserving security and stability in the region. Türkiye-EU cooperation should not be reduced to a conditionality-based approach, Fidan is set to urge, arguing that ties must instead be developed on the basis of mutual interests and equal partnership.

The success of new initiatives concerning the Black Sea will depend on close consultation and coordination with Türkiye throughout their development and implementation, Fidan is expected to stress. He is set to caution against establishing overlapping structures, saying any new security arrangements for the Black Sea should complement existing bilateral and multilateral mechanisms developed on the basis of regional ownership.

Fidan is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the gathering. He previously attended the first ministerial meeting on Security, Stability, Resilience in the Black Sea and Interregional Connectivity, held in Luxembourg in October 2025 under the EU Foreign Affairs Council framework, with the participation of countries from the Caucasus and Central Asia.