President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed Türkiye-European Union relations with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday.
In the call, von der Leyen congratulated Erdoğan on his re-election, according to a statement by the Presidency's Directorate of Communications.
Erdoğan also stated that the way to fight the challenges at the regional level successfully is to strengthen the EU's cooperation with Türkiye.
Erdoğan said that fair treatment of Türkiye and supporting the country's full EU membership would lead to much better relations and stronger ties.
I called President @RTErdogan to congratulate him on his re-election.
We discussed international challenges, including Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Moreover, we agreed to work together to strengthen cooperation between the EU and Türkiye.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 17, 2023
For her part, von der Leyen said they discussed ongoing global developments, including the Russia-Ukraine war and agreed to enhance cooperation between the bloc and Ankara.
Türkiye applied for EU membership in 1987, and its accession talks began in 2005.
In the years since, the talks have been essentially frozen due to political roadblocks by certain EU members, including Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, for reasons unrelated to its suitability for membership, according to Ankara.
Turkish officials argue that the EU can never live up to its potential on the world stage without Turkish membership in the bloc.
