Turkish foreign minister to hold talks with Dutch counterpart in Netherlands

By Busranur Koca and Can Efesoy

ANKARA (AA) — Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is scheduled to meet with his Dutch counterpart Hanke Bruins Slot in a visit to the Netherlands on Friday, marking the tenth edition of the Wittenburg Conference between the two countries.

"Minister Fidan and his Dutch counterpart will exchange views on bilateral relations, Türkiye-EU relations, and regional developments," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

During the talks, Fidan is expected to convey his views and expectations about Türkiye's EU accession process, as well as on an update to the Customs Union between the two sides, and visa liberalization by the bloc for Turkish citizens.

Fidan will also address matters concerning the Turkish community in the Netherlands, including past incidents where the the Muslim holy book, the Quran, was desecrated by far-right figures.

Additionally, he will discuss Türkiye's expectations on counter-terrorism efforts, and recent developments in the nearby region, including Israel-Palestine, Ukraine, and Cyprus.

The Wittenburg Conference, which convened on Tuesday in the Netherlands, covered six working groups focusing on Türkiye-EU relations; the Turkish-Dutch community; security; counter-terrorism; irregular migration, sustainable solutions and energy transition; and reconstruction in southern Türkiye, where massive earthquakes struck in February last year, the ministry added.

Fidan is also scheduled to meet Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

- Wittenburg Conference

Türkiye and the Netherlands signed a memorandum of understanding on strengthening Türkiye-Netherlands relations and establishing the Türkiye-Netherlands Conference in 2008.

Under this framework, Türkiye-Netherlands conferences have been alternately held in Türkiye and the Netherlands since that year, chaired by the foreign ministers of both countries.

In addition to ministerial meetings, technical-level working group meetings are held between relevant ministries and institutions of both countries.

The Netherlands has been the largest foreign investor in Türkiye between 2005 and January 2024, with about $29 billion invested.

Efforts aiming to increase the current trade volume of around $12.5 billion to $15 billion in the short term and $20 billion in the medium term between the two countries.

There is potential for further cooperation, especially in energy, environment, climate, digital, and green transformation, and new technology fields.