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Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, used a budget committee hearing in Ankara to sketch out Ankara’s foreign-policy priorities, from its fragile thaw with Greece to long-standing disputes in the Aegean and the future of the Cyprus talks.
According to Kathimerini's Manolis Kostidis, Fidan said the upcoming Turkish-Greek Cooperation Council meeting in Ankara aims to keep the current calm on track. He credited the warmer mood to the “earthquake diplomacy” that followed the deadly February 2023 quakes and said both sides have restarted confidence-building talks. Still, he stressed that Ankara will keep pushing back on what it sees as restrictions on the “Turkish minority” in Western Thrace and the Dodecanese.
On Cyprus, Fidan repeated Ankara’s red line: he said the “most realistic” path forward is a solution based on two separate states on the island. He added that Turkey wants the Eastern Mediterranean to remain stable but will continue to defend what it considers its national interests and its responsibilities toward Turkish Cypriots.
He pointed to recent diplomatic moves, including meetings in Geneva and New York, and noted the visit to Turkey by the newly elected leader in the north, Tufan Erhürman. According to Fidan, both sides agree that a two-state model is the only viable option. He also highlighted the backing the north receives from the Organization of Turkic States, where Turkey recently opened a permanent representation office.
Turning to relations with Washington, Fidan said Turkey is working to deepen cooperation across the board, including energy, and wants to hit a $100-billion annual trade target. He said Ankara is pushing hard to lift U.S. defense-industry restrictions and described recent meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other senior officials as constructive, adding that both governments appear ready to strengthen the partnership.
Fidan also placed Turkey’s NATO role front and center, noting that Ankara will host next year’s summit, something he framed as recognition of Turkey’s weight in transatlantic security. He said the EU has also increased diplomatic contact with Ankara, particularly on foreign-policy issues and connectivity projects. Turkey’s priorities with the bloc, he added, include updating the customs union and advancing visa-liberalization talks.
Fidan closed by saying that if Brussels approaches the relationship with “strategic vision,” Turkey and the EU could enter a “new era” based on mutual interest.
