Fidan says EU bid unlikely without shift in bloc’s mindset
ANKARA
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Türkiye’s long-stalled bid to join the European Union will remain out of reach unless the bloc undergoes a fundamental shift in its political mindset.
In an interview with Sky News Arabia, Fidan accused Brussels of excluding Türkiye based on identity, religion and civilization, rather than policy disagreements. He said a deep-seated ideological barrier continues to block progress despite unprecedented shared interests between the two parties.
“As long as the EU has the mindset of identity politics toward Türkiye, I think it will never happen,” Fidan said.
Türkiye has been an official candidate for EU membership for more than 20 years, but negotiations have been largely frozen since 2016. While Brussels has frequently cited concerns over human rights, governance standards and regional geopolitical disputes, Fidan contended the deadlock is driven by an “identity politics mentality.”
The minister said Türkiye’s compliance with formal membership benchmarks is rendered secondary to its cultural and religious identity in the eyes of EU leadership.
“The EU managed to become a supranational institution, but it failed to become a supra-civilizational one,” Fidan said, asserting that the bloc has failed to embrace genuine diversity beyond the borders of Western civilization.
He framed the impasse as a failure of the European project to adapt to a globalized world.
Meanwhile, Fidan will hold comprehensive discussions with his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, on all aspects of bilateral relations and regional developments, including Syria and Gaza, during the latter’s visit to Ankara on Jan. 27, according to diplomatic sources.
The sources said Barrot will pay a one-day visit to meet Fidan. The French top diplomat’s last visit to Türkiye was in May 2025 on the occasion of the informal gatherings of the NATO foreign ministers in Antalya.
The latest bilateral exchange took place during Fidan’s visit to Paris in April in 2025, although President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and French President Emmanuel Macron held tete-a-tete talks in different international platforms in the past year.
The sources said Fidan will emphasize Ankara’s satisfaction over increased dialogue between the two countries on regional and global matters and convey the message that the Turkish government has the will at the highest level to further develop this momentum and reflect it on all domains of the bilateral ties through a strategic perspective.
On economic and trade ties that cover a good portion of the bilateral portfolio, Fidan will stress Türkiye’s call for further improving these bonds through joint ventures in third countries.
He will also stress that Türkiye and France will hold the eighth Joint Economic and Trade Committee (JETCO) meeting in Istanbul on Feb. 17 in a bid to further contribute to the economic and trade ties.
On the bilateral agenda, Fidan will also raise the situation of around 800,000 Turks in France as playing an important in bridging the two nations. The fight against terrorism and developing cooperation in the field of the defense industry will also be on the two ministers' agenda.
Türkiye’s EU process
Fidan and Barrot will also review the Turkish accession process to the EU. Fidan will reiterate Ankara’s expectations to run Türkiye-EU ties with a strategic understanding without making it an internal consumption matter in some EU countries.
He will also stress the importance of Turkish admission to the EU’s industry strategy for strengthening EU’s competitiveness and reinforcing its strategic autonomy.
The two ministers will exchange views on a wide range of international issues, including the efforts to end the Russian occupation of Ukraine, the Gaza peace deal and Syria.
On the Russia-Ukraine war, Fidan will repeat Türkiye’s determination in pledging any sort of contribution for ending the war through diplomatic means. On Gaza, he will underline the importance of the continued implementation of the peace deal and of cooperation of the international community to this end.
YPG-Damascus deal
Preventing Israeli violations of the ceasefire and securing an uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza will be among the issues Fidan will raise.
On Syria, Fidan and Barrot will review the latest developments in the field after Damascus controlled a good part of its lands in the eastern Euphrates from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), or YPG.
Fidan will underline the importance of the protection of the territorial integrity and political unity of Syria for the national security of Türkiye. He will inform the French minister that Türkiye will closely follow the implementation of the Jan. 18 deal between Damascus and SDF on the ceasefire and the latter's full integration into the national army.