On Thursday, 9 July, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council António Costa stressed on X that they are determined to strengthen relations between Türkiye and the EU. At the end of a dinner with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 8 July that was held on the sidelines of the NATO summit, they explained, “The EU and Türkiye are strategic partners, and we are committed to strengthening our relationship.”
According to the Turkish presidency’s Directorate of Communications, Mr Erdoğan was pleased with the increase in contact at all levels, hoping to revitalise the EU accession process. The process has been at a standstill since 2019 due to the state of the rule of law and human rights in Türkiye. Neither the democratic situation nor the accession process is mentioned in the European presidents’ message.
Mr Erdoğan felt it was “naturally” expected that Türkiye also be concerned with the trade and investment regulations that the EU was envisaging, since the country is a member of the Customs Union and an “important production hub”.
Explaining that Türkiye has taken “initiatives to contribute to Europe’s security”, Mr Erdoğan moreover said that he expects the EU to take “steps in line with [international] law”. Türkiye would like to be included in EU defence initiatives to a greater degree – specifically SAFE, the European instrument for loans to Member States.
While various European commissioners had spotlit bilateral relations the past few weeks (see EUROPE 13900/12), Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa have, for their part, emphasised international relations. Both European presidents thus reiterated, “In a more challenging world, our partnership matters more than ever. Türkiye has been an important partner in addressing the crises in the Middle East and supporting efforts for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
According to Ankara, the war between Ukraine and Russia, the war between the United States and Iran, and Israeli attacks in the region close to Türkiye, notably in Gaza and Lebanon, were reportedly discussed.
In addition, Mrs von der Leyen and Mr Costa felt it was necessary to make the most of this new dynamic “to advance a settlement of the Cyprus issue through the UN-led process”. The UN recently undertook a new initiative in order to prompt the resumption of real negotiations to resolve the Cyprus problem. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)