29.04.2026 16:20
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, during his visit to Austria, met with Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Beate Meinl-Reisinger. At the joint press conference, Minister Fidan stated that even if Turkey meets the conditions for European Union (EU) membership, there is no political will in the EU to accept Turkey into the union.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, as part of his visit to Austria, met with Austrian Federal Minister for European and International Affairs Beate Meinl-Reisinger in the capital Vienna. Following the meeting, Minister Fidan and Reisinger held a joint press conference. Speaking at the press conference, Minister Fidan said, "The parties' intention to open the Strait of Hormuz is important."
Minister Fidan's statements are summarized as follows:
"(On peace negotiations between the US and Iran) These past few days have been very important in terms of clarifying certain positions. It is extremely important that both sides act with the intention of reaching a permanent ceasefire and peace, as well as the intention to open the Strait of Hormuz. There are some detailed issues that need to be resolved here. Frankly, I trust the skill of our Pakistani brothers in this regard. Our support will continue.
"WHAT MORE IS THE EU WAITING FOR?"
(Regarding the Customs Union Agreement) When we look at the Russia-Ukraine war, and considering Turkey's role in it, what more is the European Union waiting for? Given the geostrategic, geopolitical, and geoeconomic benefits Turkey can offer, the question arises as to why this membership is not being realized. Now, of course, every story has two sides. We have never requested that the membership conditions not be met or that we be admitted without meeting them. Of course, if you are going to join somewhere, there are conditions; these conditions are put before you, and when you comply with them, you enter.
"THERE IS NO POLITICAL WILL IN THE EU EVEN IF TURKEY MEETS THE CONDITIONS"
But the problem is this: There is no political will in the European Union saying, 'We accept Turkey's EU membership when conditions are met.' Unfortunately, this political will was killed in 2007 by Mr. Sarkozy. The European political will previously demonstrated by Mr. Schröder and Mr. Chirac was eliminated with Mr. Sarkozy. In other words, for us to proceed to the evaluation stages, a political will must be declared within the European Union; then we can look at how it will open, under what scope, and what conditions will open or close.
However, on the other hand, geostrategic developments are evolving in such a way that they compel us to work together, regardless of the nature of our relations with the European Union. There are many issues: the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the crisis in the Middle East, the Strait of Hormuz, developments in our region, maintaining stability in the Balkans, our trade volume, joint trade resilience, and building a defense base. What will we do together in NATO? How will we shape the new European security architecture? How will we develop competitive conditions? There are so many issues that when you bring Europe and Turkey together, we are talking about a population of 500 million.
"THERE ARE SOME DEADLOCKS WITHIN THE EU"
But unfortunately, there are also some deadlocks within the European Union based on certain rules. For example, 26 of the 27 countries, let's say 400 million people, may want something, but the preference of fewer than one million people can render it insufficient, from another country with a population of less than one million. Therefore, Turkey-European Union (500 million) could be held hostage by a single country. The current system makes this possible. This is not only related to this membership but also to the pragmatic steps to be taken in the relationship. There are steps related to European security, issues concerning Europe's critical infrastructure, areas related to Europe's greater commercial competitiveness, and areas related to expanding the digital domain in Europe. In all these areas, while a joint structure of 500 million could achieve something, a country with fewer than one million people can greatly obstruct this, and no one can say anything about it. Now, of course, such a tactical problem preventing a major strategic interest, and the inability to find a solution to it, is another deadlock. This is, of course, an issue that Europe must solve within itself.
"THEY SIMPLY WON'T TAKE ACTION"
But the policy we realistically follow is this: Relations between Turkey and Europe must always be good. The trade volume, as the Minister also stated, is truly approaching 250 billion dollars, and it is almost a perfect balance of 50%-50%, with no trade deficit on either side. And if the Customs Union Agreement were updated, according to all calculations, there is a possibility that this 250 billion dollars could immediately rise to 500 billion dollars. Both sides want to do this, but they simply cannot take a step. There are problems on the European Union side in demonstrating willpower. We are not talking about membership; we have the existing agreement, the Customs Union Agreement. Come on, let's update it. This is in the interest of both sides, and EU bureaucrats tell us this, but there is a blockage of will somewhere.
I hope this is overcome, but as I said, our President's will on this matter, exercised on behalf of the Turkish nation, is clear. We have no problem with this. I hope we can take our existing relations to a better, more advanced level."