Fidan attends German-led EU enlargement meet in Berlin

BERLIN

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended a conference by the German foreign ministry devoted to the enlargement of the European Union and reforming it before accepting new members.

The EU Enlargement and Reform Conference was launched by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock with the participation of 19 foreign ministers of the candidate countries and potential candidates to join the EU.

Türkiye has been a candidate country to the EU since 1999 and has been negotiating to join the club since 2005. It accession process has de facto been suspended due to disagreements between Ankara and Brussels and blockage by Greek Cyprus.

The EU will decide on the steps for the enlargement in its next leaders’ summit in early December 2023.

On the sidelines of the conference, Fidan and Baerbock had a bilateral meeting and discussed the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Fidan also met Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba.