Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that recent regional developments have once again highlighted the geopolitical importance of Turkey-European Union (EU) relations, the Anadolu Agency reported.
He stressed that updating the Customs Union in line with current conditions is a "key area requiring rapid progress" on the path to Turkey's full EU membership.
The president made the remarks during a meeting with Belgian Queen Mathilde in Istanbul. The talks covered bilateral relations between Turkey and Belgium, as well as regional and global issues, according to Turkey's Communications Directorate.
"President Erdogan also stressed that Turkey's participation in EU defense initiatives is in the mutual interest of all parties," the directorate said in X.
Erdogan further stated that Turkey and Belgium have significant potential for cooperation in a wide range of areas, including trade, defense industry, energy and agriculture, adding that efforts to further strengthen bilateral ties will continue.
Underlining Turkey's increasingly important diplomatic role internationally, Erdogan said the country will host the NATO leaders' summit in Ankara on July 7-8 and the COP31 climate conference on November 9-20 this year.
The Turkish president noted that the transition to green energy represents an important area of cooperation with Belgium, stressing that Turkey is among the leading countries in Europe in terms of installed renewable energy capacity.
During the meeting, Erdogan also expressed hope that Queen Matilda's contacts with Turkish business circles would lead to concrete results.