ISTANBUL/ANKARA /BRUSSELS

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan criticized the Greek Cypriot Administration on Wednesday.

“Whoever I speak with, they all complain about the Greek Cypriot Administration. There is a problem here: the issue of the synergy area that concerns the fate of more than 400 million people in the EU and Türkiye being held hostage by a small group of people,” he said.

From a strategic perspective, no one would accept this, said Fidan, speaking in Brussels after attending a NATO foreign ministers' meeting.

Turkish officials have long complained that opposition from the Greek Cypriot Administration, along with Athens, has hindered closer Turkish cooperation with the European Union. This political opposition ignores Türkiye’s strategic importance and has left the EU weaker, they say.

Fidan underscored that his counterparts clearly saw this problem and expressed it “in the right way at the right time,” noting that in the EU, many issues requiring unanimity were being abused.

"What is important here is for Türkiye to continue on its path in foreign policy without giving anyone leverage while also not keeping the ball on its own side," he added.

Pointing out the meetings with his European counterparts, with whom he met within the framework of NATO, Fidan said the meetings addressed mainly the possible peace agreement in Ukraine and relevant developments.

“Since Türkiye is a key actor in the Ukraine peace talks, our views are constantly being sought on these issues," he said.

Noting that he held very lengthy meetings Tuesday with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, Fidan said they placed all issues openly on the table.

He said that Kos was responsible not only for enlargement files but also for connectivity files, highlighting that there were concrete projects concerning the connectivity of the EU and Türkiye with different regions such as the Caucasus and Central Asia.

“To be frank, there are certain ongoing efforts regarding the accession process, but some chapters need to be opened. Some blockages need to be removed. There are certain decisions taken in 2019 that need to be reversed. Currently, there are efforts underway toward this," he added.

He underlined that Türkiye and the EU were working on several fundamental issues such as the Customs Union, visa liberalization, and the full resumption of the European Investment Bank’s activities in Türkiye.

Fidan noted that Türkiye has made progress with the EU on key foreign policy issues such as Russia-Ukraine, Gaza and Syria.

He underscored that these matters are crucial for both sides and that effective cooperation between Türkiye and the EU in these areas is highly valuable for both parties’ foreign policy objectives.

Fidan said that issues in Africa, particularly North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, as well as opportunities and areas of engagement, were subjects to which they attach importance.

“The groundwork created by Türkiye’s own efforts in these regions over many years now forms an important basis for cooperation with the EU and other global actors. This is frankly a major gain for us. At this point, we have issues with the EU that proceed on a win-win basis, as our president has emphasized," he said.

Noting that Türkiye’s bilateral relations with EU member states were progressing well, Fidan said that Ankara is a reliable, fair and strong partner with a strong state tradition.

“When you bring all this together, Türkiye actually offers great potential. But for the institutional adventure, our story with the EU, to come to a conclusion at some point, some blockages need to be removed," he added.

Hopes for positive outcome in Russia-Ukraine peace talks

Fidan said his hope remained for a positive outcome in the Russia-Ukraine peace negotiations, emphasizing the technical importance of the negotiation process continuing and the parties not leaving the table.

He noted that in the Russia-Ukraine case, the initial positions of the sides were very far apart but said that they could be brought to a middle point.

“I believe that (US envoy) Steve Witkoff, who is currently playing a mediator role and meeting with the parties, will play an important role here. Frankly, I believe he has the necessary experience and capabilities," he added.

Pointing out that several intertwined issues exist within the Russia-Ukraine matter, Fidan said: “This is, of course, an issue related to Ukraine’s territory, an issue related to Russia’s strategic objectives and security, and in a sense, an issue related to Europe’s own security. There is this much interconnection. Each side wants different things based on different parameters.”

“Therefore, everyone is now making an effort to attach far more importance to the potential agreement than usual. Because this concerns not only today and stopping the war, but also what comes afterward,” he said, noting that Europeans were watching closely what had happened after previous agreements.

He added that everyone was assessing the risks and benefits not just for post-agreement European security but also in a broader context.

“When so many different calculations are being made, confusion of thought is inevitable. Transforming this into clear thinking and specific goals and focusing the parties on those goals is an increasingly important area of effort for us.”

Explaining that they were advising their counterparts on what the focus should be and how, Fidan noted that he would soon enter an important meeting to learn the latest positions of the parties.

“Our President (Recep Tayyip Erdogan) continues his talks with European leaders and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin. Türkiye has reiterated that we want to host the direct negotiations. Russia has a positive attitude on this. I think Ukraine will also adopt a positive position on this soon," he added.

He underlined that if a framework were to be accepted on paper, the parties would need to meet face-to-face to clarify the details.

Stating that there was no more suitable place for the talks than Türkiye, Fidan said: “We proved this through the three meetings we held in Istanbul last summer through our hosting and management of the talks. Each time, the parties left truly satisfied.”

He underlined that although the Istanbul talks could not resolve all issues between Russia and Ukraine, they laid an excellent foundation for the ongoing negotiations.

Attacks on commercial ships in Black Sea ‘showed how justified Türkiye’s warnings from the very beginning were’

Asked about the meeting held with the foreign ministers of Romania and Bulgaria after the attacks on commercial ships in Türkiye’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, Fidan said that Bulgaria, Romania and Türkiye had established a working group to prevent wartime mines from drifting ashore.

Noting that naval forces had begun working on this issue, he said: “The recent attacks in the Black Sea actually showed how justified Türkiye’s warnings from the very beginning were. Because the geography of the war is expanding. This is extremely alarming.”

He said the attack on the two ships sailing in Türkiye’s exclusive economic zone not only endangered navigation safety in the Black Sea but also risked turning the Black Sea into a closed area for trade and human transit.

Fidan noted that although Türkiye had access to warm waters via the Aegean and the Mediterranean, countries like Romania and Bulgaria had only the Black Sea as their maritime outlet.

“This is a much bigger problem for them. But as the country with the longest coastline on the Black Sea, we also have to take on significant responsibility. And we are doing our part,” he said.

Fidan listed the important issues in the Black Sea: navigation safety, pipelines, energy routes, fiber lines, energy exploration activities and fishing.

“But when you are affected by wartime conditions, you cannot benefit from these economic opportunities. On the contrary, you are put at risk,” he said.

He added that during the meeting, they discussed what kinds of measures could be developed, in which institutions they would be coordinated, and how a coordination mechanism would be structured, noting that work would continue on several decisions taken.