Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek on Tuesday urged the European Union to not let home political issues block efforts to modernize the customs union between Türkiye and the EU, calling the improve “a win-win step” that ought to proceed directly.
“Modernizing the customs union would benefit all parties and should not be hindered by internal politics within Europe,” Şimşek instructed a reception hosted by the Dutch Embassy in Ankara.
The minister pointed to the Netherlands as one among Türkiye’s most important financial companions and expressed hope that it could play a constructive position in advancing the settlement.
Türkiye is the one non-EU nation that has a customs union cope with the bloc. The settlement was struck in 1995. In its Dec. 21, 2016, evaluation, the European Commission proposed revamping the deal.
Yet, a bunch of disagreements over latest years have stalled the negotiations for updating the customs union.
The deeper Nineteen Nineties-era settlement can be expanded to companies, farm items and public procurement. The present deal solely covers a restricted vary of commercial merchandise.
Şimşek was in Brussels earlier this month for the primary Türkiye-EU High-Level Economic Dialogue in six years. He known as it “a very important and positive step to improve relations.”
For many years, Türkiye and the bloc have loved good commerce ties and cooperation on migration. However, relations have been strained over a number of points, together with the extended technique of enlargement of the scope of the customs union settlement, maritime points with Greece and Greek Cyprus, and EU insurance policies on Syrian refugees.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has pushed the European Union to hunt deeper safety ties with Türkiye, a NATO ally and lengthy a candidate to hitch the 27-nation bloc.
On Tuesday, Dutch Ambassador Joep Wijnands mentioned Türkiye is a “key associate in strengthening European safety.”
“Türkiye is a member of the Council of Europe, a candidate for European Union membership and a key partner in strengthening Europe’s security. My country feels more than ever that we need each other,” Wijnands famous.
He mentioned the Netherlands and Türkiye are greater than companions, additionally emphasizing the shared safety pursuits of each nations as NATO allies, notably amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
“My country values Türkiye’s significant contributions to fulfilling NATO’s core missions. This year’s NATO summit will be held in June in The Hague, while next year’s summit will take place in Türkiye,” he famous.
‘Trade is in our DNA’
Both Şimşek and Wijnands known as for deeper cooperation between Türkiye and the Netherlands.
Şimşek emphasised the energy of Dutch-Turkish relations and known as for deeper commerce and funding ties with Europe at giant.
Last yr, bilateral commerce between the 2 nations reached $13 billion. The Netherlands is the most important overseas investor in Türkiye, and in 2024, 1.3 million Dutch residents visited the nation.
Şimşek highlighted Türkiye’s diversified financial system, superior infrastructure and expert labor power, and invited extra Dutch traders to discover alternatives within the nation. He additionally famous the sturdy presence of Turkish entrepreneurs within the Netherlands.
Rising protectionism and mounting geopolitical uncertainty for the reason that world monetary disaster have created challenges, Şimşek mentioned, but additionally underlined the significance of regional integration.
He burdened regional integration as the simplest antidote to rising protectionism, emphasizing the need for stronger financial ties between Türkiye and the EU.
Wijnands emphasised what he mentioned is the long-standing business and diplomatic relationship between the 2 nations, which dates again greater than 400 years.
“Trade is in the DNA of both our nations,” he mentioned.
The ambassador famous that 23% of all overseas funding in Türkiye comes from the Netherlands. Likewise, 25% of Turkish outbound funding is directed to the Netherlands, which he known as Türkiye’s primary funding vacation spot.
Wijnands additionally addressed ongoing frustrations over visa entry for Turkish nationals, saying that the Dutch authorities had considerably elevated its visa processing capability and issued a bigger variety of visas to Turkish candidates final yr.
The Turkish residents and business neighborhood have been more and more exasperated by the bureaucratic hurdles concerned in securing Schengen visas, a system that was as soon as thought-about routine however has now turn out to be an impediment for a lot of.
Lengthy processing occasions and a rising variety of EU visa rejections lately changed into a row that has been straining already delicate relations.
Source: www.dailysabah.com