DEIK Urges Europe to Reignite Türkiye’s EU Membership Talks

(MENAFN) Türkiye’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) initiated a public diplomacy initiative appealing to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and additional European officials to restart Türkiye’s long-delayed European Union accession negotiations. The organization stressed that “a strong Europe is impossible without Türkiye.”

As part of the campaign’s second stage, DEIK released a full-page open message this week in the German publication Bild, aligning the effort with Europe Day commemorations. The move came after comparable statements were previously featured in the Financial Times in January.

In its statement, the board advocated for a “paradigm shift” following years of frozen membership discussions. It maintained that Türkiye’s inclusion within the EU’s economic security and defense framework has evolved into a strategic requirement due to mounting issues such as migration, demographic transformation, the swift expansion of artificial intelligence, and the ongoing energy transition.

The message further portrayed Türkiye’s complete integration as crucial for the European Union’s ambition to strengthen its position as a global force. The board also referenced what it described as Friedrich Merz’s visionary stance during the Munich Security Conference.

Additionally, the letter underlined that the Turkish business sector has been deeply connected to European value networks for many years. It argued that establishing a trustworthy roadmap toward EU accession would contribute to rebuilding strategic certainty and reciprocal confidence between Brussels and Ankara.

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