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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will meet with European Commission Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos on July 25, 2025, marking her first official visit to Türkiye since taking office on December 1, 2024.
The meeting comes amid renewed diplomatic momentum between Türkiye and the European Union, with both sides engaging in high-level dialogue across multiple policy areas throughout 2024 and 2025.
Fidan is expected to emphasize that EU membership remains Türkiye's strategic objective while calling for the bloc to adopt a fair approach toward Türkiye. The foreign minister will reportedly press for concrete steps from the EU to make Türkiye-EU relations sustainable and predictable during Kos's tenure.
Central to Türkiye's agenda will be the removal of European Council decisions from July 15, 2019, which Turkish officials argue have outlived their justification. Ankara seeks to restore institutional consultation mechanisms and expedite convening the Türkiye-EU Association Council and High-Level Dialogue meetings.
Türkiye will also push for immediate negotiations to update the Customs Union agreement and advocate for the swift operationalization of the Türkiye Investment Platform, which aims to accelerate investments in green transition, digitalization and connectivity. Turkish officials want increased funding for the platform without further delays.
The discussions will address recent improvements in Schengen visa applications for Turkish citizens, announced July 15, 2025. While welcoming the implementation decision, Türkiye seeks extension of the new arrangements to all sectors and completion of the Visa Liberalization Dialogue process with effective facilitating measures.
Fidan plans to call for an unbiased, rational and merit-based approach in EU enlargement policy, specifically requesting Türkiye's inclusion in all meetings with other candidate countries. He will argue that Türkiye's participation in EU defense and security initiatives represents a necessity based on mutual benefit rather than mere preference.
Regional cooperation will feature prominently, with Türkiye emphasizing the critical importance of collaboration with the EU on Black Sea Strategy and connectivity initiatives. The meeting will also cover coordination needs on regional crises requiring joint solutions, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the situation in Gaza and Palestine, and Syria's stability and reconstruction.
The diplomatic engagement comes after accelerated bilateral contacts over the past year. Key meetings have included Fidan's participation in EU Foreign Ministers' Informal Meetings in August 2024 and May 2025, President Erdogan's attendance at European Political Community summits, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's December 2024 visit to Türkiye.
Recent high-level dialogues have covered economic cooperation, trade relations, and migration and security issues, with meetings held between Turkish ministers and EU officials in both Ankara and Brussels throughout 2025.
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