BRUSSELS

Türkiye and the EU need each other, said the EU Commission's lead spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy on Monday.

Meeting with a group of Turkish journalists in Brussels, Peter Stano stressed that the bloc is well aware of the Türkiye's importance.

"We need each other because we are stronger together," Stano said.

However, he claimed that the union's approach is shaped by principles and values and that there can be no progress if there is no consensus between the parties.

On how accession negotiations with Türkiye have been effectively frozen for years, Stano called this a “sad state of affairs because Türkiye is important for region and the union."

Asked why Türkiye is being treated merely like a neighboring country rather than a candidate for full membership, he said, "I see nothing wrong in approaching Türkiye as a neighbor country,” calling being a neighbor to Türkiye a “privilege."

On restarting the stalled negotiations, Stano said doing so would require the approval of all member states, including Greek Cypriot administration.

He said the Cyprus issue remains a major hurdle to the improvement of relations, urging Türkiye to recognize the Greek Cypriot administration to get things back on track with the bloc.

Türkiye applied for the EU membership in 1987 and has been a candidate country since 1999.

Ankara’s EU membership negotiations started in 2005, but entered into a stalemate after 2007 due to the Cyprus problem and opposition by several member states to Türkiye’s full membership.

The Greek Cypriot administration was admitted to the EU in 2004, the same year the Greek Cypriots thwarted a UN plan to end the longstanding dispute.

France’s opposition to Türkiye’s full membership and political conditions imposed by Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration remain major stumbling blocks in Türkiye’s EU accession process.​​​​​​​