Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas. (AA photo)
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Oct. 21 hailed the Libyan parliament’s endorsement of the maritime agreement with Türkiye as a diplomatic success, stressing that Ankara had considered the pact valid since its signing in 2019.
“This is a success for Turkish diplomacy,” Fidan said during his Brussels visit, crediting the outcome to the foreign policy pursued under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Fidan said Turkish legal advisers viewed the parliamentary decision as an act of acceptance rather than ratification, since the agreement was already in force.
“We have regarded it as a valid agreement since 2019,” he said.
Responding to objections from some countries and European Union officials, Fidan defended the agreement as legitimate both legally and politically.
He said it was based on mutual benefit and supported peace and stability in the eastern Mediterranean.
Reviewing his Brussels visit, Fidan said he had held extensive talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on relations between Ankara and the bloc.
The discussions covered obstacles in bilateral ties, trade, political issues and Türkiye’s EU candidate status.
Fidan called for regular, sustained talks to address these matters.
He said his meeting with Kallas also covered the Russia-Ukraine war, developments in the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb, energy supply problems and difficulties affecting grain exports through the Black Sea.
With NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Fidan discussed Türkiye’s relations with the alliance, follow-up to decisions taken at the July summit hosted by Erdoğan, and developments in Ukraine and the Gulf.
Fidan also joined Justice Minister Akın Gürlek and Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi for the fourth ministerial meeting with their Belgian counterparts.
He said the sides discussed concrete steps to strengthen cooperation based on mutual trust and shared interests.
In a separate statement on the visit, Fidan emphasized shared responsibility and fair burden-sharing in addressing Europe’s security challenges.
“We will continue to work resolutely with our partners in the Euro-Atlantic family for peace, security and stability,” he said.
