ANKARA

Belgium's Ambassador to Türkiye told Anadolu that during his service in Ankara, one of his priorities is to improve Turkish-EU relations.

"Because Belgium-Türkiye relations are actually embedded in European Union-Türkiye relations," said Hendrik Van de Velde.

He said "strong" commercial relations emerge from the customs union, stressing that there is a desire to make headways on updating the Türkiye-EU Customs Union and progress on visas.

The ambassador said Belgium ranks sixth in Türkiye's trade with the EU and the two countries have a strong relationship based on high-value products and automotive production.

'Belgium is in favor' of Türkiye's EU membership

Regarding Türkiye's EU membership process, the official noted that "Belgium is in favor" of Ankara's accession to the EU, noting that there are steps to be taken.

Van de Velde highlighted that Belgium is home to a large number of Turks, just like Turks living in Germany and the Netherlands, and described it as a privilege and a treasure.

He said although Türkiye's EU membership process started in 2005, it has not progressed at the expected pace and the slow progress is due to tensions and political reasons.

Van de Velde said among the steps to be taken to move it along is the strengthening of high-level dialogues, adding that the Türkiye-EU Customs Union should be modernized as well.

*Writing by Serdar Dincel in Istanbul