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By News Centre

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a joint press conference with France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, following their official talks.

Addressing members of the press, Minister Fidan opened his remarks by expressing his satisfaction at hosting his “esteemed counterpart and friend,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, in Türkiye. Welcoming Barrot and his delegation once again, Fidan said the two sides had conducted highly productive discussions. The talks covered the current state of Türkiye–France relations, France–European Union ties, as well as a wide range of regional and global issues of direct concern to both countries.

Fidan emphasized that under the leadership of Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, both leaders have issued clear political directives aimed at further strengthening bilateral relations. “We are working with full determination on how we can improve relations between our two countries in commercial, economic, political, and other fields,” he said.

The foreign minister noted that discussions also focused on how to overcome the current stalemate in Türkiye–EU relations. In this context, he said he exchanged views with his French counterpart on concrete steps that could be taken. Fidan pointed out that there are several key objectives on the agenda, including the modernization of the Customs Union Agreement and the activation of the visa liberalization process. “We discussed how we can move these issues forward, what actions can be taken, and other outstanding matters between us,” he added.

European security was another major topic of discussion. Fidan said the two ministers held in-depth and substantive exchanges on how European security could be strengthened within the framework of NATO. Stressing the significant roles played by both Türkiye and France in NATO and in European security more broadly, he underlined that there is considerable potential for further cooperation. “We agreed that we need to come together more frequently and engage in deeper discussions on certain issues,” he said.

Turning to regional developments, Fidan highlighted that Türkiye and France have an extensive agenda for cooperation and dialogue. Issues discussed included Syria, Gaza, developments in Iran, security in the Mediterranean, and the Russia-Ukraine war, which he described as a matter of global security that took up a substantial portion of the talks.

The ministers also addressed the need to maintain uninterrupted efforts in the fight against Daesh (ISIS). In addition, they reviewed the ongoing work of the Coalition of the Willing, Türkiye’s potential contributions in this framework, and the latest stage reached in Russia-Ukraine negotiations.

Fidan noted that many other issues were also discussed but could not all be detailed in his remarks, a reflection, he said, of the breadth and depth of the bilateral agenda between Türkiye and France. Describing the meetings as highly productive, he concluded by thanking Minister Barrot once again for his visit and for the high-quality exchange of views.