Belgium’s new Ambassador to Ankara, Hendrik Van de Velde, stated that one of his main priorities during his term of office is to improve European Union (EU)-Turkey relations and said, “We support Turkey’s membership in the European Union, which has many steps to be taken.”
ANKARA (AA) – SÜMEYYE DİLARA DİNÇER – Van de Velde, who started his duty in Ankara in October, talked about his life in Turkey and the relations between the two countries.
“My First Impression of Turkey is ‘Great’”
Ambassador: “(Türkiye) is a great country with a vast history and traditions dating back thousands of years, and you can feel it.” He said that the places dating back many years reflected the rich history of the country and he loved it.
Noting that the sun is an impressive element in Turkey for someone coming from a Northern European country, Van de Velde said, “We are in November now, but the sun is still with us. “This makes life more enjoyable for someone from Northern Europe,” he said.
Van de Velde stated that he was welcomed in Turkey and that he was pleased with this, adding that he lives in the center of the city and uses the metro from time to time.
Ambassador Van de Velde said: “The general atmosphere is nice and welcoming, you feel safe on the streets, you feel that people are kind and you can talk to everyone. “It feels so good.” he said.
Van de Velde, who said that he had traveled to Turkey for holiday purposes before, stated that this was a wonderful place for a tourist.
Explaining that he visited many cities even though his duty in Ankara started recently, the Ambassador noted that he visited Konya, Eskişehir and some districts of Ankara.
Van de Velde pointed out that Ankara is located in the middle of Anatolia and is in a very convenient location for travelling, and said, “I think you can see very interesting things even with a one-day trip.”
Stating that he was not disappointed with the food, Van de Velde said, “I love simple, traditional dishes. “When you go to any place in Turkey, such as Konya or Eskişehir, and look for a place to eat, you can find a nice place in five minutes, I find this very enjoyable,” he said.
Bilateral Relations
Stating that the relations between the Turkish and Belgian economies are remarkable, Van de Velde noted that the economies of the two countries are similar.
The Ambassador stated that Belgium ranks sixth in Turkey’s trade with the EU and explained that the two countries have a strong relationship based on high-value products and automotive production.
Pointing out the importance of Belgian business people’s investments in Turkey, the Ambassador stated that more than 5 percent of foreign direct investments in Turkey are made from Belgium and said, “We have a strong footprint in Turkey.”
“One of my main priorities is to improve EU-Türkiye relations”
Explaining his main priorities during his term as Belgium’s Ambassador to Ankara, Van de Velde said, “One of my main priorities is to develop EU-Turkey relations as a European Union (EU) member country.”
Hendrik Van de Velde stated that the Belgium-Turkey relationship is embedded in the EU-Turkey relations and that the reason for having a trade and investment relationship is the Customs Union.
Emphasizing that there is a willingness to modernize the Customs Union and visa facilitation, Van de Velde underlined the need to bring dynamism to trade, energy and other fields.
The Ambassador emphasized that these were a priority for him during his term of office, and that the positive progress of Turkey-EU relations would also be good for Türkiye-Belgium relations.
Expressing his goals to contribute to bilateral relations, Van de Velde said, “The priority for me is to cooperate closely with the European Union delegation here, considering that one third of Turkey’s trade is with the European Union.”
“We support Turkey’s EU membership”
Van de Velde said, “The world is big, yes, but still our closest partners in the world are definitely Türkiye and the European Union. “Therefore, we need to get closer and we support Turkey’s membership in the European Union, which has many steps to take.”
Pointing out that Belgium hosts many Turkish citizens, just like the Turks living in Germany and the Netherlands, Van de Velde stated that this is a privilege and described it as a treasure.
Stating that Turkey’s EU membership process did not progress at the expected pace even though it started in 2005, the Ambassador stated that this slow progress was due to some tensions and political reasons.
Expressing that the steps to be taken for this include strengthening high-level visits and economic dialogues between the two countries, Van de Velde added that the Customs Union between Turkey and the EU should be modernized and that the current order dates back to the 1990s.
