Turkey has not changed its vision of the EU, assured Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during the official visit to Ankara by his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares, in which Fidan reiterated that Turkey “sees its future in Europe” and maintains its determination to be a full member of the European bloc.
“We trust that relations between the institutions of the European Union and Turkey will continue to improve with a more positive agenda,” said Fidan during a joint press appearance offered yesterday after their meeting in the Turkish capital, in which he stressed that the process of Turkey’s entry into the EU is “too important to be left at the mercy of the narrow political agenda of some countries.”
For his part, Albares highlighted the importance of relations between Spain and Turkey, two partners located at both ends of the Mediterranean, and once again reiterated Spain’s firm support for the Turkish candidacy for the EU, also vindicating the role that Turkey plays in the NATO as key to security in Europe. “We want the candidacy (of Turkey to enter the EU) to be approved,” said Albares, insisting that all European countries should unconditionally support Turkey’s entry.
The Spanish foreign minister acknowledged, however, that “more efforts” are needed to make progress in the relations between Turkey and the EU, especially on issues such as the customs union. “We should redouble our efforts in these areas. As a member country of the European Union, Spain will strive to ensure that this dynamic does not stop,” said Albares, who reiterated that both Ankara and Madrid see Turkey’s future as a country integrated into Europe.
During his visit to Ankara, in addition to talking about Turkey’s future in the EU, Spanish foreign minister Albares also referred to international issues such as the situation in Gaza, insisting that to achive peace in the Middle East it is necessary “the establishment of a State of Palestine permanently”. Fidan for his part praised the Spanish stance on the conflict, saying that “Spain has been one of the EU countries that has supported the Palestinian people and has followed a principled position in Spain. This praiseworthy position of Spain is also proof that the question of Palestine is universal, and goes beyond religious or cultural identities.”
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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