FM Fidan in Netherlands for Türkiye-Netherlands Conference

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to visit the Netherlands for the 10th Wittenburg Conference meeting, discussing bilateral relations and regional developments

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will visit the Netherlands today within the scope of the 10th meeting of the Wittenburg Conference, which has been held between Türkiye and the Netherlands since 2008, and will meet his counterpart Hanke Bruins Slot.

Fidan’s discussions in the Netherlands will include bilateral relations, as well as exchanges of views on Türkiye-EU relations and regional developments.

Fidan will also meet with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte during his visit.

During the Wittenburg Conference convened on April 16 in the Netherlands, six Working Groups on “Türkiye-EU Relations,” “Turkish Community in the Netherlands,” “Security, Counterterrorism,” “Irregular Migration,” “Post-Earthquake Reconstruction and Sustainable Solutions,” and “Transition to Clean Energy” were formed.

Fidan and Slot will assess the current state of political relations between Türkiye and the Netherlands and the progress made by the Wittenburg Conference’s working groups.

EU accession, visa liberalization to be discussed

Fidan will convey Türkiye’s views and expectations on a few key areas during the meeting. These include EU membership progress, revamping the Customs Union, and easier visas for Turkish people.

He’ll also discuss issues affecting the Turkish community in the Netherlands, including past incidents of disrespect toward the Quran.

The meeting will also address counterterrorism and Türkiye’s expectations for cooperation in this area. Additionally, the two sides will comprehensively evaluate developments in the wider region, particularly those in Israel-Palestine, Ukraine, and Cyprus.

Wittenburg Conference

The Memorandum of Understanding on Strengthening Türkiye-Netherlands Relations and Establishing Türkiye-Netherlands Conference was signed in 2008 between the two countries.

Within this framework, the Türkiye-Netherlands (Wittenburg) Conferences, held alternately in Türkiye and the Netherlands under the chairmanship of the foreign ministers of both countries, have been organized since 2008.

In addition to ministerial meetings within the conference framework, technical-level working group meetings are also held between the relevant ministries and institutions of the two countries.

Bilateral relations with Netherlands

The year 2024 marks a significant milestone in relations between Türkiye and the Netherlands, with the 100th anniversary of the Friendship Treaty and the 60th anniversary of the Labor Agreement.

The Netherlands is the largest foreign investor in Türkiye, having invested approximately $29 billion between 2005 and January 2024.

It is aimed to increase the bilateral trade volume, which is around $12.5 billion, to $15 billion in the short term and to $20 billion in the medium term. 

Source: Newsroom

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