Turkish foreign minister urges return to 'pre-Sarkozy' relations with EU

ISTANBUL

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has called for relations with EU to return to the cooperative spirit that existed before former French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s term.

Speaking to French television channel France 24, Fidan underscored the importance of reframing the EU's approach to Türkiye's membership, advocating for a merit-based EU membership process and closer regional cooperation.

“In our assessment, Türkiye and Europe in general, Türkiye and France in particular, we need to go back to pre-Sarkozy settings,” he said.

Sarkozy served as the French president from 2007 to 2012.

Fidan noted that before Sarkozy, European leaders, particularly from France and Germany, considered Türkiye’s EU membership a strategic step. “Later on, Türkiye's membership has been treated as part of domestic politics and Türkiye was viewed through the identity politics lenses,” he said, noting the discrepancy.

He described the period between 2007 and 2008 as a “golden time” for EU-Türkiye relations, where a clear roadmap and reforms were underway. He emphasized that restoring a merit-based process would strengthen both sides, adding: “Türkiye should unite with Europe to create a more effective force in the region.”

He outlined two competing visions for Europe: “One is, should Europe be a geostrategic thinker including Türkiye into the club and then create its own center of gravity in its own region…or stay very much dependent on the other actors for their own security.”

Asked about the possibility of resuming high-level political dialogue, Fidan sounded optimistic, referring to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's recent visit, saying: “Our impression (is) that she would like to have such a possibility, and (Turkish) President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan is certainly very much willing to advance on that direction.”