Brussels: 2024 was a pivotal year for thoroughly discussing Trkiye-EU relations and recognizing the importance of cooperation, according to Trkiye's permanent representative to the EU. Ambassador Faruk Kaymakci voiced Trkiye's hope to eliminate barriers hindering the Association Council by engaging in high-level political dialogue on key areas such as the economy, transportation, energy, and politics.
According to Anadolu Agency, speaking to journalists on the past year in Turkish-EU ties and expectations for 2025, Kaymakci said the easing in the Eastern Mediterranean since early 2023, improving ties with Greece, and the growing need for cooperation between Trkiye and the EU in both regional foreign policy areas and security and defense issues in the international context strongly shows the need for normalization and advancement of Trkiye-EU relations.
Stressing that a joint Turkish-EU declaration should be adopted as soon as possible, Kaymakci mentioned that the issue couldn't be discussed at the December 2023 EU summit for various reasons, but it was on EU leaders' agenda at the April 2024 summit.
Kaymakci explained that the EU has failed to take concrete steps to meet Trkiye's expectations: "At the end of 2024, the EU summit gave the green light to pave the way for the High Level Economic Dialogue and the European Investment Bank to return to its activities in Trkiye, but we expect these to be realized concretely. We want to see a clear date for the High Level Economic Dialogue. We want to see a step for the EIB to start its normal activities in Trkiye immediately. The start of the EIB's normal activities in Trkiye will mean that the Investment Platform for Trkiye will also start working effectively."
He noted that the EU is gradually narrowing its policy of giving grants to candidate countries and accepting more packages for investment and growth plans with international financial institutions in addition to providing a certain amount of grants. "2024 was actually a year in which Trkiye-EU relations were comprehensively discussed, in which areas the need for cooperation was seen, and some positive signs for the normalization and improvement of relations for 2025 began to be determined," he added.
On recent EU reports on Trkiye, Kaymakci stated, "In these reports, it has been determined that Trkiye is a candidate country and has made progress in certain areas, so we are entering 2025 with greater hope."
Pointing to what he called two very important developments in Turkish-EU relations in 2024, he said, "One was inviting our foreign minister (Hakan Fidan) to the EU informal meeting of foreign ministers after an interval of five years. This meeting was extremely useful. Our foreign minister demonstrated first-hand Trkiye's determination in the EU membership process, what Trkiye as a candidate country and the EU can do together in the fields of foreign policy, security and defense policy, and how they can make a difference. Likewise, Trkiye has always demonstrated its constructive stance on the Cyprus issue."
Kaymakci expressed the wish to open all blocked dialogues, start the high-level economic dialogue as well as the transportation and energy dialogues as soon as possible. He stated that it would benefit both sides to open the way for economic, transportation, energy, political dialogues, and the Partnership Council.
Stating the ongoing dialogues will continue, Kaymakci expressed that the EU prioritizes certain areas. "We're telling the EU side that we will not accept a transactional approach here. We want all dialogues to be held for the benefit of Trkiye and the EU. We do not favor selectivity in dialogues. Our expectation is that in 2025, disability dialogues will start to be held and all dialogues created after 2019, such as agriculture, trade innovation, health, migration and security, will also be held."
Kaymakci added that Cabinet ministers from Trkiye are expected to visit Brussels on various occasions in the coming days, including meetings on Syria and the Israel-Palestine issues, and that the European Political Community summits, to which Trkiye has always been invited, will be held in Albania and Denmark this year.