Turkey and Belgium Revive Ministerial Talks After a Decade-Long Gap
Foreign, justice and interior ministers from both countries met at Brussels' Egmont Palace on Tuesday, their first joint session of this kind in ten years, agreeing a new police cooperation plan as Belgium's top diplomat called Turkey indispensable to European security.
Foreign, justice and interior ministers from Turkey and Belgium met at the Egmont Palace in Brussels on Tuesday for their fourth joint ministerial session, the first gathering of this kind between the two countries in a decade. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan led a delegation that included Justice Minister Akin Gurlek and Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci, while Belgium was represented by Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot alongside Justice Minister Annelies Verlinden, Security and Home Affairs Minister Bernard Quintin, and Asylum and Migration Minister Anneleen Van Bossuyt.
The ministers discussed counterterrorism and organized crime, judicial cooperation, consular affairs and visas, and migration, alongside broader talks on industry, defense, energy, innovation and trade. The two sides signed a bilateral action plan on police cooperation meant to tighten coordination between their law enforcement agencies and speed up the exchange of information between them.
Prevot calls Turkey indispensable to European security
Prevot framed the meeting as recognition of Turkey's weight in European security rather than a routine diplomatic exchange. You cannot seriously discuss European security without engaging with Turkey, he said, calling it an important NATO ally as well as a diplomatic player with contacts and influence in regions vital to the continent's security. Belgian officials pointed specifically to Turkey's NATO membership, its role in Black Sea security, and its diplomatic channels to both Ukraine and Russia as well as the Middle East and Africa.
The decade-long gap between formal sessions reflects years of strained ties between Ankara and several European capitals over issues ranging from migration to rule of law. Tuesday's meeting, hosted in Brussels rather than in a neutral venue, signals that Belgium at least is treating a reset in that relationship as a priority alongside the rest of its packed diplomatic calendar this autumn.
