Turkey’s FM attends first EU meeting in five years in bid to boost ties

Turkey's foreign minister hopes to make progress on improving Ankara's rocky ties with the European Union on Thursday as he attends a meeting of EU ministers in Brussels for the first time in five years, a source from his ministry said.

Turkey's two-decades-old bid to join the bloc has been frozen due to EU concerns over its human rights record alongside policy disputes in the eastern Mediterranean and over Cyprus.

At the same time, the bloc depends on NATO member Turkey's help, particularly on migration issues.

Tensions in 2019 between EU-member Greece and Turkey led to Brussels threatening sanctions against Ankara and cutting off some dialogue channels. Ties have improved since 2021, with high-level talks restarting.

Ankara saw the EU's invitation to Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as an effort to seek dialogue, the foreign ministry source said. Deeper...