Turkish foreign minister says Balkans hold strategic, cultural priority for Türkiye

ANKARA / ISTANBUL

The Balkans are not only strategic for Türkiye but also a priority area intertwined with cultural and human ties, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday.

“The stability of the Balkans is of great importance primarily for Europe, as well as for the peace and security of neighboring regions,” Fidan told a press conference following the first Balkan Peace Platform meeting in Istanbul.

Noting that the initiative to convene the Balkan Peace Platform came at the directive of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Fidan said regional leaders showed strong interest in the proposal.

He added that the meeting gathered participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, and Kosovo.

Highlighting the Balkans as a strategic crossroads connecting Europe, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea, the Turkish foreign minister emphasized the region’s historical significance in political, economic, and security matters.

Fidan stressed that bilateral cooperation with regional countries is developing on multiple levels, with high-level contacts continuously expanding into new areas.

“We believe that stability in the Balkans will become permanent primarily through strengthened cooperation and dialogue among regional countries. This approach is based on the principle of regional ownership,” he said.

He said the Balkan Peace Platform is a new step in regional ownership, aiming to create a practical and effective structure that encourages honest dialogue and regular contact among all parties.

The foreign minister expressed their aim to create a foundation where the term Balkans is associated not with division and fragmentation, but with cooperation and solidarity, striving to contribute to the prosperity and peace of both the region and its neighbors.

“We aim to support existing mechanisms rather than replace any process. We offer a framework that supports the efforts of the international community, particularly the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue process,” Fidan said, adding that participants had come together today to find solutions to Balkan issues and develop concrete projects.

“We cannot leave our future to chance or the hands of others,” Fidan said, adding that they discussed regional issues with participants, emphasizing that establishing stability and prosperity across the Balkans is a top priority.

“We exchanged views on various topics, including political developments, energy security, strengthening connectivity, regional cooperation, and capacity-building opportunities. We also evaluated the future of the Balkan Peace Platform, aiming for it to serve as a complementary format to existing initiatives in the region,” he said.

The foreign minister highlighted a shared commitment to hold regular meetings and prioritize projects that will concretely advance regional cooperation.

He also stressed that in today’s global crises and rising uncertainties, joint solutions are essential, emphasizing the urgent need to strengthen regional dialogue and noting that decisions about their region must be made collectively.

Fidan expressed hope that the Balkan Peace Platform will serve this purpose, adding that the initiative was launched with a joint effort to build a Balkans that collaborates and embraces its diversity as a strength.

EU accession, Balkans cooperation

On concrete decisions made during today’s talks, Fidan recalled that six of the seven participant countries are EU membership candidates and said: “One of our common agenda items was how we can share experiences within the EU accession process,” focusing on coordinated positions and raising regional awareness in Brussels.

Fidan said the Balkan Peace Platform offers a valuable forum for discussing shared experiences on EU visa and Customs Union policies, regional challenges tied to EU accession, and mutual awareness of sensitivities between the EU and the Balkans.

“Historically, geographically, and culturally, these countries are a continuation of one another,” Fidan said. Stressing the importance of joint action, he added that regional nations agreed to enhance cooperation in trade, economy, politics, and defense based on their mutual interdependence.

He noted that the EU is developing two projects funded by special funds—the European Security Action (SAFE) and Rearm Europe (European rearmament plan)—that grant specific rights to member states and have different provisions concerning candidate countries.

He added that a joint decision was made to collaborate on issues concerning candidate countries.

Fidan stressed the need for defense industry cooperation beyond SAFE and Rearm Europe, highlighting different capacities among countries, saying that it was also on the agenda.

Turkish tourists’ growing interest in Balkans

Fidan highlighted the growing interest of Turkish tourists in Balkan countries, especially among young people, emphasizing the importance of mutual understanding through education and observation.

He noted that Turkish tourists rank first in visitor numbers across six Balkan countries, with tours to cities like Belgrade, Pristina, Skopje, and Tirana becoming increasingly popular.

He added that these countries welcome this trend, while Istanbul and other parts of Türkiye also remain major attractions for tourism and business, stressing the need to further develop and better assess these connections.

Regional solutions to regional problems

Fidan emphasized that the participants agreed on producing “regional solutions for regional problems” at the meeting, stating that it is their duty to address issues when they can do so.

He noted ongoing discussions to raise awareness and expressed satisfaction with the shared common ground, adding that they decided to meet again every six months, with Istanbul continuing as the platform’s center for now.

The Turkish foreign minister also described the inaugural Balkan Peace Platform as an informal format and said there is consensus to bring leaders together under this framework once progress is made.

‘Consensus on resolving issues through diplomacy’

Fidan recalled tensions between some Balkan countries but welcomed the fact that “no one wants a hot war or conflict like in the past,” emphasizing a consensus around resolving issues through diplomacy and dialogue.

He noted that while the region often focuses on problems, missing opportunities have negative economic and security consequences.

He highlighted a shared awareness and mental agreement on setting aside certain issues to pursue peaceful cooperation and enhanced connectivity in economic and other areas, calling this consensus the platform’s greatest achievement for the continuation of regional peace.

Russia-Ukraine

Fidan underlined that one key agenda of the Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul is bringing the leaders together.

He recalled that Russia and Ukraine expressed their willingness to meet in Istanbul under Türkiye’s hosting but noted that ongoing negotiations continue over the timing and conditions of the meeting. “As negotiators, we are making efforts to find a middle ground between Ukraine and Russia’s differing positions.”

He pointed out increasing agreements on prisoner exchanges and humanitarian efforts, saying: “Both sides are showing goodwill and effort to implement this, which greatly pleases our president (Recep Tayyip Erdogan) and us.”

Fidan highlighted US President Donald Trump’s interest in the ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, adding: “Our president wants to accelerate this process.

He is a firm believer in leaders’ diplomacy, believing that certain deadlocks between negotiating teams can be resolved through a leaders’ meeting. “We may take initiative to make this possible.”

The foreign minister said both the Russian and Ukrainian leaders are willing to meet, but there is a disagreement over the conditions of such a meeting.

He said the disagreement is not over whether the leaders should meet, but rather over the conditions, timing, and agenda of the meeting, stressing that progress must first be made at the delegation level.

Fidan expressed hope that, once the groundwork is laid, a trilateral meeting hosted by Erdogan in Istanbul could take place in the near future.

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