The Turkish Foreign Ministry has criticized the European Union for its “lack of strategic vision” regarding Turkey and global issues, reacting to the conclusions of a special meeting of the European Council that emphasized the EU’s strategic interests in a cooperative relationship but linked progress to the Cyprus issue.
The meeting, which took place on April 17 and 18, addressed longstanding tensions, including economic and security concerns, but failed to advance specific recommendations from the Joint Communication on EU-Turkey relations drafted by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and the European Commission in November.
Regarding the Conclusions of the Extraordinary European Council of 17-18 April 2024 https://t.co/RhUErqEFyj pic.twitter.com/N3pK9oNGAz
— Turkish MFA (@MFATurkiye) April 18, 2024
The foreign ministry issued a statement on Thursday expressing its disappointment, particularly at the EU’s insistence on linking progress in Turkey-EU relations to the resolution of the Cyprus issue.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, with a Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north. The division occurred when Turkey deployed troops to the island following a coup attempt aimed at unifying Cyprus with Greece. Turkey continues to maintain over 30,000 troops in the northern part of the island.
The EU has resisted Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s calls for a two-state solution in Cyprus and wants Ankara to allow new UN-brokered talks.
The Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) proclaimed by Turkish Cypriot leaders in 1983 is recognized only by Ankara.
Efforts to reunify Cyprus have stalled since the last round of United Nations-backed talks broke down in 2017.
The Greek Cypriot leadership of the Republic of Cyprus rejects the call for a two-state solution and continues to want a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation in line with successive UN peace plans.
European Council conclusions on Ukraine, the Middle East and Türkiye, 17 April 2024
On the EU leaders' agenda:
📌Competitiveness and the single market
📌Ukraine
📌Türkiye
📌Middle EastMore info 👉 https://t.co/x2ZAEI8Bhq#EUCO
🇪🇺🇹🇷 pic.twitter.com/ZcSISPbSNe
— AB Türkiye Delegasyonu🇪🇺EU Delegation to Türkiye (@EUDelegationTur) April 18, 2024
The ministry emphasized that Turkey was not prepared to accept a reduction of its “multifaceted” relations to a single issue and rejected the continuation of what it perceives as a selective limitation of bilateral cooperation.
The council conclusions emphasize the EU’s strategic interest in stabilizing the eastern Mediterranean and promoting mutually beneficial relations with Turkey. To this end, the council mandated COREPER, the Committee of Permanent Representatives to the European Union, to take work forward on the basis of Borrell’s recommendations.
The European Council also underlined the importance of the Cyprus settlement talks and welcomed the appointment of María Angela Holguín Cuéllar as the UN secretary general’s personal envoy to Cyprus. The EU declared its willingness to actively support all phases of the UN-led process.
The European Commission’s joint communication in November praised Turkey’s recent more constructive stance in some areas, while expressing specific expectations, including the settlement of trade disputes, cooperation on the enforcement of sanctions against Russia and the promotion of conditions conducive to the resumption of talks to resolve the Cyprus issue.
The EU has also raised concerns about Turkey’s approach to counterterrorism, accusing the government of using broad definitions to suppress critics.
Dialogue will continue on other issues such as the rule of law, fundamental rights and Turkey’s contribution to EU crisis management.
We regret that the European Council failed to take any constructive steps for the revitalization of Türkiye EU relations. The joint communication on the state of play of Tr-EU relations put forward important recommendations for the future of the relations. It is regrettable that https://t.co/RPCzA8B5zR
— İktisadi Kalkınma Vakfı – İKV (@ikv1965) April 18, 2024
The Economic Development Foundation (İKV), an important observer and analyst of EU-Turkey relations, expressed regret that the recent European Council meeting did not lead to any substantial steps to revitalize relations between Turkey and the EU.
The İKV criticized that the Joint Communication on the state of EU-Turkey relations failed to produce actionable results and highlighted the missed opportunity to modernize the customs union — a step that could bring significant economic benefits to both parties.
This underlines the general disappointment of stakeholders seeking closer relations between Turkey and the EU.
