Fidan to attend EU meeting on transport, Black Sea security

ANKARA

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is scheduled to visit Brussels on Nov. 16 to attend a ministerial meeting on regional security and connectivity, where discussions are expected to focus on strengthening transport, energy and digital links between Europe, the Black Sea, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

The second ministerial meeting on Interregional Security and Connectivity will bring together EU foreign ministers, the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos and representatives from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

The meeting, held under the EU Foreign Affairs Council, will feature two sessions focusing on interregional connectivity and advancing security commitments toward the Black Sea region.

During the first session, titled “Interregional Connectivity,” participants are expected to discuss the EU Connectivity Agenda Platform, announced on June 23, and work toward developing a concrete action plan covering energy, transport and digital connections between the EU and neighboring regions.

Fidan is expected to emphasize Türkiye’s readiness to contribute to regional connectivity projects and expand cooperation by drawing on its strategic geographical position.

He is also expected to call for a realistic and results-oriented approach to Türkiye-EU relations, arguing that the connectivity agenda could provide a new avenue for constructive cooperation.

In this context, Fidan is expected to stress the importance of restarting high-level dialogues between Türkiye and the EU on transport and energy.

He is also expected to highlight opportunities offered by projects such as the Middle Corridor, the Development Road, the Three Seas Initiative and the Global Gateway, arguing that different connectivity routes should be viewed as complementary rather than competing initiatives that contribute to global trade and prosperity.

The second session, titled “Advancing Security Commitments for the Black Sea Region,” will address the strategic importance of the Black Sea, the regional security situation, grain trade, maritime transport, hybrid threats and the protection of critical infrastructure.

Fidan is expected to share Türkiye’s assessment of the implications of the ongoing war in Ukraine for Black Sea security and underline the importance of regional ownership in maintaining stability.

He is also expected to highlight the critical role of the Montreux Convention in preserving stability in the region.

The Turkish minister is further expected to argue that new initiatives concerning Black Sea security should be developed and implemented in close consultation and coordination with Türkiye, while complementing existing bilateral and multilateral mechanisms rather than creating overlapping structures.

Fidan is also expected to underline that Türkiye-EU cooperation should not be reduced to conditionality, but should instead be developed on the basis of mutual interests and equal partnership.

The meeting follows the first ministerial gathering on Black Sea security, stability, resilience and interregional connectivity, held in Luxembourg on Oct. 19-20, 2025, with the participation of Caucasus and Central Asian countries.

Fidan is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Brussels gathering.