Fidan: Progress With The EU Difficult Unless South Cyprus Lifts Its Reservations

Speaking during a live interview on CNN Türk with journalist Ahmet Hakan, Fidan said that in order to move forward on matters such as the Customs Union, reservations held by actors within the EU, including South Cyprus, must be removed. He noted that President Erdoğan may bring up the issue in talks with Mitsotakis, who is expected to visit Turkey on 11 February.

Relations With The European Union

Fidan said that efforts in recent years have prevented Turkey–EU relations from deteriorating further and that ways are being sought to improve them. He stressed that Ankara attaches importance to updating the Customs Union and achieving visa liberalisation.

Highlighting Turkey’s strategic role in connectivity as Europe increasingly looks beyond the continent, Fidan said that the Russia–Ukraine war has disrupted the east–west axis in the north, increasing Turkey’s geographical importance in terms of connectivity.

Recalling that Turkey’s trade volume with the EU stands at around 230 billion dollars, Fidan said that a proper update of the Customs Union could double this figure, benefiting both sides.

He underlined once again that in order to make progress on issues such as the Customs Union, reservations by parties within the EU — particularly South Cyprus — must be lifted, adding that President Erdoğan could raise this matter with Prime Minister Mitsotakis during their meeting.

Contacts With Greece

Fidan said he believes Prime Minister Mitsotakis and Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis have the intention and capacity to resolve problems, but noted that the domestic political environment in Greece does not provide favourable conditions for addressing long-standing strategic issues.

“Leaders coming from Greece are constantly caught in a dilemma between solving this historic problem and paying a political price,” Fidan said, adding that Turkey has presented its counterparts with creative solutions.

Visa Issue

Fidan stated that the visa problem is one of the main topics discussed with European counterparts and said that the suspension of visa liberalisation has been placed back on the agenda.

He noted that European countries have been working to restore visa service capacity, which declined during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that Turkish citizens who previously obtained multiple-entry visas have been granted certain facilitations.

Pointing to the increase in visa applications from Turkey to Europe, Fidan said: “There is a very serious problem with visa policies in Europe. Centre-right and centre-left governments have lost political ground to the far right due to the migrant issue.”