On Tuesday, Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Türkiye and the European Union (EU) agree on the importance of preserving Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, particularly in creating inclusive governance structures. The statement came during a joint press conference with Ursula von der Leyen, President of the EU Commission, in Ankara.

“We agree on maintaining Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, particularly on establishing inclusive governance,” Erdogan said. He also urged that Türkiye-EU relations not be “held hostage to the narrow agendas of some members of the bloc.”

Erdogan emphasized the need for a stronger and more institutionalized relationship with the EU, reiterating Türkiye’s commitment as a candidate country. He called for progress on two major priorities: updating the Customs Union and accelerating visa procedures for Turkish citizens, with the goal of achieving visa liberalization.

On terrorism, Erdogan underlined that Türkiye is the only country to have defeated both the PKK and Daesh/ISIS terrorist groups on the ground and remains the sole NATO ally to have done so.