Türkiye urges EU to move strategically, avoid 'identity politics'

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has urged the European Union to adopt a strategic mindset in its dealings with Türkiye and move away from employing "identity politics".

“Ultimately, we expect the EU to adopt a more rational approach toward our membership and to embrace a stance that contributes to regional prosperity and stability,” Fidan said during a news conference with his Hungarian counterpart, Peter Szijjarto, in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday.

Noting that Hungary will assume the EU presidency as of July 1 in the second half of the year, Fidan said that Türkiye hopes that Hungary would make progress on issues such as the update of the Customs Union and visa liberalisation.

“We continue to rely on Hungary's valuable contributions and support in overcoming obstacles to our EU membership and enhancing our relations with the EU,” he added.

Expressing that the “EU needs to think strategically, end identity politics in its approach to Türkiye,” Fidan stressed that Türkiye-Europe ties also should not “fall victim to the political calculations of certain countries.”

For his part, Szijjarto expressed that "in the face of the challenges looming before Europe and the EU, we cannot overcome these difficulties without cooperation with Türkiye.”

Energy security, irregular migration

During the press conference, Szijjarto further underlined the necessity of collaboration with Türkiye for energy and economic security, underscoring the importance of the EU's need for cooperation with Ankara.

The Hungarian foreign minister thanked Türkiye for contributing to Hungary's energy security and stressed that natural gas could not be supplied to Hungary without Türkiye, calling Ankara a reliable and predictable transit partner.

Szijjarto also acknowledged Ankara’s support in addressing the constant pressure of irregular migration, saying: "If we cannot prevent illegal migrants from reaching Europe, we will lose Europe, and we do not want that."

He conveyed Hungary’s continuous support for Türkiye in this regard.