Kaja Kallas says Türkiye's ties with the European Union are vital for the bloc, despite ongoing membership talks.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas stated that Türkiye remains a key partner for the European Union during the launch of the bloc’s 2025 Enlargement Package in Brussels.
Kallas says enlargement is not only a political priority but a geopolitical need, especially with the war in Ukraine continuing to reshape Europe’s security landscape.
She emphasized that the EU and Türkiye are engaged on multiple issues of common interest, from trade and energy to regional stability.
But she also noted that the decline of democratic standards, judicial independence, and fundamental rights has effectively frozen Türkiye’s accession process since 2018.
Kallas added that strengthening the rule of law, fighting corruption, and supporting independent media are essential for both national and European security. She ruled out that any shortcuts to membership are not an option.
The EU Foreign Policy Chief said Türkiye remains a strategic partner, with 2030 set as a realistic timeframe for potential new EU members.
Turkish officials stress that the EU’s enlargement policy should include Türkiye, citing its long-standing candidacy and vital role in regional stability, migration, and defence.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says the country's goal of full EU membership remains, while calling for the removal of what he calls “political blockages” in the accession process.
Meanwhile Türkiye has rejected the European Commission’s latest report on the country’s progress toward European Union membership as “biased,”
Ankara claims the 2025 report contains unfounded allegations and uses language inconsistent with efforts to build a positive Türkiye-EU agenda.
At the same time, Türkiye emphasised its continued commitment to EU membership and regional stability.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
One person has been killed and six others injured after an explosion at a petroleum storage facility at the Port of Rotterdam, prompting an investi...
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricult...
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricultural market if Russian exporters divert supplies to Central Asia at discounted prices.
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of the country’s importance to regional energy and digital connectivity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment