FOREIGN MINISTER HAKAN FİDAN- Dear press members, we are hosting a very valuable guest in Ankara today. Dear brother, Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Mr. Jeenbek Kulubaev is our guest. I would like to welcome him and his delegation once again in your presence.
At the beginning of my speech, I would like to congratulate Kyrgyzstan on its election as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2027-2028 term, which is a historic achievement and victory for Kyrgyzstan. In this regard, Kyrgyzstan's diplomatic success in the international arena and Türkiye's support for this have truly been an exemplary event of solidarity between brothers. I wish them great success during their duties at the UN. I am sure that they will undertake really important duties for both Kyrgyzstan and the Turkic world.
Dear friends, thanks to the shared commitment of our President and the President of Kyrgyzstan, Mr. Japarov, our cooperation with Kyrgyzstan is steadily strengthening. In our meetings today, we focused on the goals set by our leaders at the last meeting of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council, where we stand in achieving those goals, what needs to be done, how we can take them further, frankly, we reviewed and discussed them in detail. In addition, we discussed regional and global issues comprehensively. We have just signed a Cooperation Program between him and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs for 2027-2028. Our cooperation should proceed in a more planned, programmed and structured manner, we are raising this issue at every level.
In this direction, we will continue to engage together in shared activities in various fields from trade to energy, from the defense industry to consular and cultural issues. Of course, with these steps we will take, the most important issue, the goal, is a trade volume target of 5 billion Dollars set by our Presidents, and we are trying to reach it. To be honest, we are a little far from that at the moment, but the potential between the two countries is very high. We have 350 companies operating in Kyrgyzstan, and an increasing number of Turkish companies are also showing interest in investing in Kyrgyzstan in various sectors. We are trying to take this even further.
Additionally, we discussed the issue of connectivity and other financing and investment matters with my esteemed brother. Especially the issue of effective use of the Middle Corridor... We have seen in this latest Iran incident that connectivity, cargo transportation, and the transmission of materials and products are truly matter of strategic importance. Corridors and connection roads are becoming more and more important, we discussed our views on this issue together. Our cooperation in the field of security is developing as well. In this framework, we also discussed the efficient fight against terrorist organizations and cooperation in the defense industry.
Dear press members, of course, one of the important issues is the activities carried out by the Organization of Turkic States and how it can be more effective, how Türkiye and Kyrgyzstan can play a better role in this regard; we also discussed that issue. The Organization of Turkic States is an embodiment of the shared commitment of the Turkic world. It is the shared commitment of our leaders that this Organization, this partnership, will operate in a more institutional, more effective manner in all areas in modern times. Of course, we have a lot of duties in this regard, as well as to the bureaucracy, non-governmental organizations, the business world... Everyone is trying to do their best.
On one hand, as you know, there is a Summit held every year, this year we will hold the Summit in Ankara, hosted by our President.
On the other hand, we discussed our efforts to end the unjust isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, who are an integral part of the Turkic world.
Of course, there are other global and regional issues. Ukraine is at the forefront of these. We also discussed the Ukraine issue and the ongoing war, the effects of this war and the risk of it spreading even more dangerously. We exchanged views on how do we look at this as two countries, what are our evaluations, the impressions I gained during my last visit to Russia, the contacts made by our friends. Our aim and desire is to stop the war as soon as possible and to start negotiations for a comprehensive peace talk. We agree on this.
We also expressed our shared satisfaction with the existing agreement with the United States regarding Iran; they also have special relations with Iran, they have policies they follow in this regard. Iran has a geography opening to Central Asia; in this respect, because it borders Central Asia, Iranian policies are of significant interest to the Turkic states. We also exchanged views on that issue.
Of course, we also went through, one by one, the issues that directly affect Türkiye's immediate neighborhood, that occasionally have indirect implications for Kyrgyzstan, and that are matters of common concern to all of us, particularly the Palestinian issue, as well as Palestine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. As you know, Netanyahu's expansionist policy is a policy that supports chaos, instability, war, tears, destruction and genocide in the region. What can we do as the international community to stop this policy, what measures can be taken, what kind of action will be taken?.. As you know, as Türkiye, we are discussing the issue with all our international interlocutors and partners, and of course, we discussed this issue with our brother today. Where they stand, where we stand, we stand in the same place on all issues. After all, this is what brotherhood requires, but we have different action potentials and situations. We also reviewed them.
On the other hand, there are some decisions we took at today's meeting of the Joint Strategic Planning Group, as well as matters we will be following up on. We have systematically noted them, gone over them, and it has formed the infrastructure for the next High Level Strategic Council Meeting to be held between our Planning Group leaders. For this, I would like to thank my esteemed colleague, his valuable delegation and my friends for this productive visit. Both during this meeting and in the lead-up to it, both delegations have put in a great deal of hard work and effort. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to this effort.
Now I give the floor to my dear brother.
FOREIGN MINISTER OF KYRGYZSTAN, JEENBEK KULUBAEV- [SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION]https://www.youtube.com/live/CJ6wvKCR8Po?si=M8YV-tNtM7Kck214&t=492
QUESTION- My question will be to Minister Fidan.
We see that high level contacts between Türkiye and the European Union are increasing. Yesterday, three names from the Commission were in Ankara, where they were hosted. What were the agenda items in yesterday's meetings on this issue and how would you evaluate the course of Türkiye-European Union relations in the future?
FOREIGN MINISTER HAKAN FİDAN- Dear friends, you know that Türkiye's full membership to the EU is one of our strategic goals, and our President has had a strong commitment and vision in this regard from the very beginning. We, as the Ministers and the Ministries responsible for the issue, are trying to realize this vision. Yesterday's visit was a truly significant one by the EU delegation. The fact that three Commissioners visited at the same time and we had the opportunity to discuss many issues was an important step for us. As you know, Türkiye-EU relations have been continuing on a more constructive course with a certain momentum lately. We are pleased with the accelerated contacts and constructive steps at all levels. Türkiye-EU High Level Dialogue Meetings have been restarted, especially in many fields including economy, trade, migration, security, science, research and technology. As you know, the European Investment Bank has partially restarted its activities in Türkiye. Türkiye has an interest in joining the Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA), and the relevant financial and technical authorities are currently working on the matter.
In our meetings yesterday, we discussed many issues such as foreign policy, connectivity, energy, transportation, trade, migration and visa issues, and reviewed current issues. At the same time, we had the opportunity to discuss many issues such as global security, regional security, ongoing crises, wars, Russia-Ukraine, Iran, the Strait of Hormuz, and Israeli expansionism. We discussed connectivity issues because when you look at the Commissioners who came, you know, there is the High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Ms. Kaja Kallas. In addition, the Commissioner for Enlargement, and also, the Commissioner for Internal Affairs... Due to their job description; foreign policy, issues related to connectivity and enlargement, as well as migration and visa issues were discussed. When it comes to connectivity, the EU fully recognizes both the importance and benefits of the infrastructure, particularly the transportation infrastructure, that Türkiye has developed, it also recognizes the role Türkiye can play in connectivity given its geographical location and it fully appreciates the vision and capacity of Türkiye’s leadership in this area. We discussed how we can activate new logistics connection routes along both the North-South and East-West axis, and how we can benefit more from the existing ones together.
Moreover, there is the issue of modernizing the Customs Union. As you know, there is an intense eagerness on both sides in this regard. However, since the Greek Cypriot side has a certain blockage on this issue, steps cannot be taken at the desired speed. Certain decisions in the European Union must be taken with the participation of member states. There is no need for consensus on every issue, since decisions can also be taken by majority vote, but if a member does not get what it wants in one area, it may block what the other members want in another. Because they threaten one another in this way, it becomes difficult to make progress on certain issues. What we see, however, is that the overwhelming majority of the EU supports the modernization of the Customs Union, as the current trade volume, which at times approaches 250 billion Dollars, has the potential to double or even triple suddenly. This is really beneficial for both sides. Therefore, we are exploring how this can be advanced under the current circumstances and what can be done to that end. And this was also one of the issues discussed yesterday.
Immigration and visa issues are of course important. There is demand for these issues from Türkiye as our integration with Europe increases, since there is a great deal of travel particularly from the business world, students, the art world, and those traveling for tourism purposes. They believe that they are doing their best but we think that there should be further cooperation on this issue. There are steps to be taken, they introduced a phased visa facilitation last year, which they call Cascade. It is necessary to take this even further. On the other hand, certain conditions must be implemented in order to conclude the Visa Liberalization Agreement. We also shared our plans on that subject with each other.
Our expectation is that our relations with the EU will advance further at the institutional level and take on a more structured, systematic, and results-oriented form. In fact, all our Ministries and institutions have been instructed by our President in this direction. As the Ministry responsible for EU coordination, we are working to determine how we can best advance both the accession process and our ongoing relations, but as you know, our bilateral relations with EU member states are truly excellent, with the exception of one or two. There is no commercial, political or economic problem, but when they come together as an institution, we see that the overall quality of those relations is not reflected in the institutions of the European Union. We will continue to move forward by identifying the problems and, hopefully, overcoming them in a systematic way.
QUESTION- My question is also to Minister Fidan. Sir, there are only a few days left until the NATO Summit. What is the current situation, how are the preparations going? What are our expectations from this summit as Türkiye, what results do you plan to achieve?
FOREIGN MINISTER HAKAN FİDAN- Dear friends, Türkiye is hosting again after 22 years. As you know, when it happened in 2004, our President was the Prime Minister, now he is hosting it again. This is an extremely important aspect for us. There are some decisions taken here and of course it is necessary to monitor where we are in terms of implementing these decisions. The decisions taken in the last two Summits will be reviewed at the Ankara Summit. In particular, the practical implementation of the principle, raised under the heading of burden-sharing, that NATO members should share the burden of the Alliance’s security and make a collective contribution will once again be discussed.
And also, what is a NATO approach that is in line with the new conditions? This is defined as “NATO 3.0”. What are the perspectives here, these will also be brought to the agenda. European deterrence has been an increasing issue. As you know, the main problem right now is the threats of war and instability in the region where Europe is located. NATO’s perspective on the current and potential challenges and threats facing these issues will also be discussed. Of course, the fact that this is being done in Türkiye once again reveals and reinforces Türkiye's strategic importance and its role in NATO. This is truly a source of pride for our country and our nation. Türkiye's hosting of such highly important historical summits is of course a result of our President's long-term leadership. Leadership that commands respect around the world has truly emerged as a highly effective instrument for shaping Türkiye’s foreign policy and regional policy.
At the NATO Summit, in addition to the official Summit, there are other activities carried out by our NGOs and institutions, there are activities carried out by think tanks. Another important issue is that the defense industry will organize a Forum in parallel with the summit held in Ankara. Defense industry issues have become one of NATO's most important agenda items. These issues were discussed in the past as well, but the primary focus was on assessments by combat forces and intelligence elements and on the military preparations to be undertaken in response to them. But now the recent wars have shown that productivity, efficiency, diversity and dependency in the defense industry are equally important. This is now becoming evident both at the leadership level and at the operational level. We will have an important event in this regard as well.
* Deciphered by Interpress- unofficial translation from the Turkish text