Türkiye and Czechia enjoy friendly relations, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said on Monday, adding that mutual high-level contact has significantly increased in recent years.
Lipavsky underlined Türkiye’s importance in the EU security atmosphere and its stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine during an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA) on the sidelines of a future leaders program in the capital, Prague.
"Our countries have continued friendly relations for many years. We are allies at NATO and we support Türkiye’s EU membership,” Lipavsky said.
Türkiye has the longest history with the union and the longest negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement with the European Economic Community (EEC), the EU's predecessor, in 1964, which is typically regarded as a first step toward eventual membership in the EU. Applying for official candidacy in 1987, Türkiye had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. The process involved opening and then provisionally closing individual chapters, each representing a specific policy area, once the established criteria were fulfilled. By 2016, only 16 out of the 35 chapters had been opened, and only one had been provisionally closed. By 2018, the accession talks reached a standstill. The EU expressed dissatisfaction with what it viewed as a lack of progress on key issues, while Türkiye criticized what it perceived as double standards and a lack of commitment from the EU. This resulted in a de facto suspension of the accession process, leaving the future of Türkiye's EU membership in a state of uncertainty.
The minister further highlighted that there is great potential to further develop trade between Türkiye and Czechia in several areas. Fields such as agriculture, environmental projects, food, the defense industry, technology and space technologies, especially, bear potential.
Lipavsky expressed his satisfaction with the growing cooperation between universities and academic institutions in both countries, as well as the mutual increase in tourist numbers, saying, "This undoubtedly reflects the close relations between our countries."
On the Russia-Ukraine war, Lipavsky said: "We appreciate Türkiye’s mediation efforts to ensure a fair and permanent peace for Ukraine.”
NATO member Türkiye is one of the most active countries working to ensure a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and Russia. Its delicately balanced act of assuming a role as a mediator by keeping communication channels with both warring sides open provides a glimmer of hope in diplomatic efforts to find a solution and achieve peace in the Ukraine crisis. With its unique position of maintaining friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, Türkiye has garnered widespread praise for its efforts to end the war.