Türkiye and the European Union have achieved important projects among civil society groups from both sides with the contribution of their Civil Society Dialogue Program, a senior Turkish diplomat said on Monday.
Around 530 projects have been carried out and 70 million euros ($74.4 million) used in nearly 15 years as part of the Civil Society Program initiated in 2008, Deputy Foreign Minister Faruk Kaymakcı said at a closing event.
The closing ceremony of the sixth phase of the Türkiye-EU civil society dialogue program in 2020-2021 and the third phase of Civil Society Support, implemented by the Turkish Foreign Ministry and funded under the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA), was held in the coastal city of Antalya.
Addressing the event virtually, Kaymakcı, the Foreign Ministry's top official for EU affairs, also said the communication and interaction of countries increased with the projects carried out among civil societies and that they take care to be inclusive in the projects.
They also paid "strict attention to cover many issues from the environment to agriculture, from employment to culture and fundamental rights," he said, adding that with these projects, they tried to reach every sector of society such as women, children, the disabled, asylum seekers, farmers and social entrepreneurs.
He also expressed Türkiye's willingness to continue the dialogue and support programs with the support of nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives.
The Civil Society Dialogue Program brings together civil society bodies in both Türkiye and the EU, and it brings EU norms along with good practice examples to Türkiye, which is a candidate for EU accession.
Recently speaking to Daily Sabah, Kaymakcı said that Türkiye expects the EU to handle its enlargement policy more seriously and act more encouragingly toward candidate countries.
The EU should not dismiss a relationship as strategic and important as the one with Türkiye due to the narrow-minded expectations and ambitions of certain members, he also noted.
Türkiye-EU relations are marked by disputes on several issues, including tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, Türkiye's role in Syria, the migrant crisis and the stalemate in Türkiye's accession process to join the bloc. However, Türkiye has recently reiterated that it is part of Europe and sees its future in the EU, adding that it will continue to work toward full membership. Ankara is calling to reenergize the accession process and update the Türkiye-EU Customs Union as it advocates for regular high-level dialogues, visa liberalization and further counterterrorism efforts.
Türkiye 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, Türkiye had to wait until 1999 to be granted the status of a candidate country. For the start of the negotiations, however, Türkiye had to wait for another six years, until 2005, a uniquely long process compared with other candidates. In recent years, the accession process seems stalled.