Istanbul: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that recent regional developments have once again highlighted the geopolitical importance of Trkiye-European Union relations, stressing that updating the Customs Union in line with current conditions is “a key area necessitating swift progress” on the path toward Trkiye’s full EU membership.

According to Anadolu Agency, the president made these remarks during a meeting with Belgian Queen Mathilde in Istanbul. The talks covered Trkiye-Belgium bilateral relations as well as regional and global issues, according to Trkiye’s Communications Directorate.

“President Erdogan also underlined that Trkiye’s participation in the EU’s defense initiatives is in the mutual interest of all sides,” the directorate said on US social media platform X.

Erdogan further said Trkiye and Belgium hold significant potential for cooperation in a broad range of fields, including trade, the defense industry, energy, and agriculture, adding that efforts to further strengthen bilateral ties would continue.

Highlighting Trkiye’s increasingly prominent diplomatic role internationally, Erdogan said the country will host the NATO leaders summit in Ankara on July 7-8 and the COP31 climate conference on Nov. 9-20 this year.

The Turkish president noted that the green energy transition represents an important area of cooperation with Belgium, emphasizing that Trkiye is among Europe’s leading countries in installed renewable energy capacity.

During the meeting, Erdogan also expressed hope that Queen Mathilde’s contacts with Turkish business circles would produce concrete outcomes.