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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday criticized the Greek Cypriot Administration, saying its obstructionism is holding the European Union and Türkiye “hostage” over critical regional matters.
“Whoever I speak with, they all complain about the Greek Cypriot Administration,” Fidan said. “There is a problem here: the issue of the synergy area that concerns the fate of more than 400 million people in the EU and Türkiye being held hostage by a small group of people.”
Speaking in Brussels after a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting, Fidan said no one would accept such behavior from a strategic standpoint.
Turkish officials have long said political opposition from the Greek Cypriot Administration, often in coordination with Greece, has blocked deeper Türkiye–EU cooperation. Ankara argues this ignores Türkiye’s strategic weight and weakens the bloc’s global standing.
Fidan said many EU officials are aware of the issue and express concern about the abuse of unanimity rules.
“What is important here is for Türkiye to continue on its path in foreign policy without giving anyone leverage while also not keeping the ball on its own side,” he said.
Fidan held extensive bilateral talks with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, focusing on Türkiye–EU ties, the Russia–Ukraine peace process, and regional connectivity.
He noted that Kos also handles EU connectivity files and that projects linking the EU, Türkiye, the Caucasus, and Central Asia were discussed. He said certain 2019 decisions blocking Türkiye’s EU accession talks must be reversed and that some chapters need to be reopened.
Fidan said discussions also touched on modernizing the Customs Union, visa liberalization, and restoring the European Investment Bank’s activities in Türkiye.
He emphasized that Türkiye has aligned with the EU on several key foreign policy fronts, including Ukraine, Gaza, and Syria.
“We are proceeding with the EU on a win-win basis, as our president has emphasized,” he said, citing progress in Africa as well, where Türkiye’s decadeslong presence now serves as a foundation for joint efforts with the EU.
Fidan said Türkiye maintains solid bilateral ties with EU member states and is viewed as a reliable and fair partner.
“When you bring all this together, Türkiye actually offers great potential,” he said. “But for the institutional adventure, our story with the EU, to come to a conclusion at some point, some blockages need to be removed.”
On Russia-Ukraine peace efforts, Fidan expressed hope for a positive outcome, stressing the importance of keeping negotiations alive.
He noted the wide divergence in initial positions but said the middle ground could be found.
Fidan voiced support for U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff’s mediation efforts and said he believed Witkoff had the right experience to play a key role.
“This issue involves Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Russia’s strategic goals, and Europe’s security,” Fidan said. “Everyone is now trying to give more weight to the outcome than usual, because this also shapes what comes after the war.”
Fidan said Türkiye continues to offer to host direct negotiations and noted that Russia has already welcomed the idea.
“I think Ukraine will also adopt a positive position on this soon,” he added.
He underlined that face-to-face talks would be necessary once a framework agreement is reached and said there is no better place than Türkiye.
“We proved this through the three meetings we held in Istanbul last summer,” he said. “Each time, the parties left truly satisfied.”
Though the Istanbul talks could not resolve all issues, Fidan said they laid an excellent foundation for further negotiations.
Fidan also addressed maritime security following recent attacks on commercial ships in Türkiye’s exclusive economic zone.
He said the strikes showed that Türkiye’s early warnings about the expanding geography of the war were justified.
“The recent attacks in the Black Sea actually showed how justified Türkiye’s warnings from the very beginning were,” he said. “This is extremely alarming.”
Fidan noted that the attacks risk turning the Black Sea into a restricted area for trade and human transit.
He added that while Türkiye has access to other seas, countries like Romania and Bulgaria depend solely on the Black Sea—making the issue even more urgent for them.
Fidan said Türkiye, Bulgaria, and Romania had launched a working group to counter drifting mines and ensure maritime security. Naval forces have already begun working on the issue.
He listed navigation safety, pipelines, energy routes, fiber lines, and fishing as key priorities in the region and warned that all these economic activities are now under threat from wartime conditions.
The foreign ministers discussed coordination frameworks and institutional mechanisms to address the evolving risks in the Black Sea, he added.
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