Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will be in Brussels on Monday to attend the 2nd Ministerial Meeting on Interregional Security and Connectivity, held within the framework of the EU's Foreign Affairs Council.
The meeting is expected to bring together Fidan, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos, foreign ministers from EU member states, and representatives from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Moldova, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, according to diplomatic sources. Political issues related to regional connectivity are also expected to be addressed.
Fidan is expected to express Türkiye's readiness to contribute to regional connectivity projects and expand cooperation in the field, drawing on the advantages of its geostrategic location, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources.
He is also due to underscore the need to reassess Türkiye-EU relations on a realistic, results-oriented basis that can deliver tangible progress amid increasingly interconnected global challenges. He will highlight regional connectivity as a potential area for constructive cooperation between Türkiye and the EU, while underlining the importance of resuming high-level dialogue meetings on transport and energy.
The Turkish foreign minister is also expected to address the opportunities presented by major connectivity initiatives, including the Middle Corridor, Development Road, the Three Seas Initiative and Global Gateway, in facilitating global trade and economic integration.
He is also likely to reaffirm Türkiye's position that different connectivity routes should be viewed as complementary rather than competing projects, contributing to global prosperity.
During the meeting's second session, "Advancing Security Commitments for the Black Sea Region," participants are expected to discuss the strategic importance of the Black Sea, the regional security situation, grain trade, maritime transport, hybrid threats and the protection of critical infrastructure.
The session will also focus on measures aimed at strengthening regional stability.
Fidan is due to share Türkiye's assessment of the ongoing war in Ukraine and its implications for Black Sea security, emphasizing the importance of regional ownership in maintaining stability.
He is also expected to underline the critical role of the Montreux Convention for the Turkish Straits in preserving security and stability in the region.
Fidan is set to urge that Türkiye-EU cooperation not be reduced to a conditionality-based approach, arguing that ties must instead be developed on the basis of mutual interests and equal partnership.
Fidan is also expected to stress that the success of new initiatives concerning the Black Sea will depend on close consultation and coordination with Türkiye throughout their development and implementation.
He is set to caution against establishing overlapping structures, stressing that any new security arrangements for the Black Sea should complement existing bilateral and multilateral mechanisms developed on the basis of regional ownership.
He is also expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the gathering. The Turkish foreign minister previously attended the first ministerial meeting on Security, Stability, Resilience in the Black Sea and Interregional Connectivity, held in Luxembourg in October 2025, under the EU Foreign Affairs Council framework, with the participation of countries from the Caucasus and Central Asia.
