Ankara, Paris discuss ways to advance Türkiye-EU ties

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his French counterpart, Jean-Noel Barrot, discussed ways to overcome current freeze in Türkiye-EU ties, including modernization of the customs union and visa liberalization, as well as to strengthen the security of the European continent in a key meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara on Jan. 27.

“We have discussed what we can do together to overcome the current blockage in the Turkish-EU ties. As you know, we have many objectives [regarding ties]. Among them are the modernization of the customs union and visa liberalization. We discussed how we can show progress on these issues,” Fidan said in a brief statement after his talks with the French top diplomat.

Describing talks with Barrot as very fruitful and touching a wide range of bilateral, regional and global matters, Fidan underlined that they are working to improve Ankara-Paris ties in line with the political directives of both countries’ leaders, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and French leader Emmanuel Macron.

“We also have exchanged views on how we can improve the European security within NATO. Given the important roles both our countries have regarding the European security, it is obvious that we have a lot to do together and increase our dialogue to this end,” he stated.

On regional issues, the two men raised recent developments in Syria, Gaza, the efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine as well as combating terrorism, including ISIL.

For his part, Barrot praised the continued close dialogue between the two countries on many issues as this cooperation contributes to international stability and security.

He also touched on the recent developments in Syria while underlining the importance continued engagement against the presence of the ISIL in this country.

On Ukraine, Barrot said, “Pressure on Russia should be augmented and gas supplies from this country should be restricted. In this frame, our struggle against Russia’s ghost fleet should endure.”

The French top diplomat recalled that Türkiye is acting as one of the guarantors of the Gaza peace deal. “We should be assured that humanitarian aid is delivered. And our countries have a role to play in advancing efforts for reaching a two-state solution in line with the New York Declaration,” he said.

Paris is also paying importance on the stability and peace in south Caucasus and supports normalization process between Armenia and Azerbaijan and Armenia-Türkiye.

Barrot recalled that Türkiye will host the COP31 while France will lead the G7 in 2026, which requires intense dialogue and cooperation between the two countries.

“Although we have some differences on some issues, we are still working hard to find a common basis of understanding,” Barrot added.