Turkey's cooperation with Germany, which remains a driving force in the European Union, will be very important and decisive, Mehmet Kemal Bozay, Ankara's envoy to the EU said Thursday.
Turkey expects the incoming German government to understand the significance of Ankara's connection with the EU, Bozay said in a virtual seminar focused on analyzing the potential impacts of the recent German elections.
He said outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel maintained very good relations with Turkey despite occasional problems and pursued a policy that was in the interests of both countries.
Germany and Merkel played a role in defusing tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean last year, as well as the migration crisis in 2015, Bozay said, adding that Turkey and the EU developed a "positive agenda" during her tenure.
The Social Democratic Party (SPD) narrowly edged out the bloc of Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party Christian Social Union (CSU) to win last Sunday's national elections.
However, the SPD fell short of a parliamentary majority and the country is now likely to see months of negotiations between parties to form a coalition government.
Bozay said they expect the incoming German government to adopt an approach toward Turkey that will be in line with the country's current stance.
"We can assume that the new coalition government to be formed in Germany will not push for a major and sudden change in relations with Turkey," he said.
The envoy said Turkey will pursue active engagement with the new government and continue to "cooperate on regional and other issues."
Emphasizing that Berlin remains Ankara's top trade partner, he said cooperation between German and Turkish companies will be vital in efforts to achieve "green transformation" objectives.
On the issue of updating the EU-Turkey Customs Union, Bozay said there were political and economic obstacles that need to be overcome.
He said negotiations on the matter can start under the current conditions but will likely take two to three years.
Turkey has the longest history with the union and the longest negotiation process. The country signed an association agreement with the EU's predecessor in 1964, the European Economic Community (EEC), which is usually regarded as a first step to eventually becoming a candidate. Applying for official candidacy in 1987, Turkey had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. For the start of the negotiations, however, Turkey had to wait for another six years, until 2005, a uniquely long process compared with other candidates.