EU High Representative Josep Borrell spoke at the EU Foreign Ministers meeting and emphasized the need to engage with Türkiye in order to increase cooperation.

Foreign Ministers of the European Union countries came together in Brussels, the capital of Belgium, the current EU Presidency, for an informal meeting.

At the end of the meeting where one of the agenda items was in relation to Türkiye, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib made joint statements to the press.

EU High Representative Borrell said “We need to engage with Türkiye, taking into account the Cyprus issue, to avoid conflicts and to increase cooperation. We need to work in areas where our interests overlap and avoid issues that distance us from each other.”

On a question on whether the EU is ready for progress on issues such as visa liberalization, Borrell said, “Everyone agrees that we need to build stronger relations with Türkiye, but it will depend on the course of developments. But the general feeling is that we need to interact more positively with Türkiye, even to solve the Cyprus problem, which is at the top of our agenda because Cyprus is a member.”

Belgian Foreign Minister Lahbib noted that Türkiye is an increasingly important strategic partner on the global stage.

Noting that Türkiye is an indispensable partner, Lahbib said that they would like to discuss differences on issues such as the rule of law, democracy, independence of the judiciary and Cyprus in the near future.

Lahbib said that they will invite Türkiye to an event in April to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 2004 enlargement, when 10 countries joined the EU.