According to Kordpress, while more than a decade has passed since Turkey's membership negotiations in the European Union were effectively stopped, Ankara officials continue to emphasize their adherence to the goal of joining the European Union and reject alternative options.

According to the BBC, the European Union granted Turkey the status of "candidate country" in 1999, and formal negotiations for the country's accession began in 2005. However, the dialogue process was stopped in the following years due to political and structural differences.

Brussels has declared the main cause of this impasse to be Türkiye's backsliding in areas related to human rights and the rule of law, as well as the continuation of unresolved disputes over the Cyprus issue.

On the other hand, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly accused the European Union of "dual" and "geopolitical short-sightedness" and emphasized that membership in the European Union is still a "strategic goal" for Ankara.

Turkish officials and media close to the government also believe that Ankara's position has strengthened in recent years with the change in global balances. According to them, while Europe is trying to rearrange its security structure and reduce its dependence on the United States, the role and importance of Türkiye has increased.

However, it is still not clear whether these developments can lead to a real revival of the membership process or will simply pave the way for the formation of a new type of cooperation between the two sides.

In the same context, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had previously announced that the European Union "lacks political will" for Türkiye's membership process.

Erdogan has also emphasized in separate statements that Brussels should recognize Turkey's "global capability" in the emerging multipolar order. He accused the European Union of "strategic short-sightedness" and said that the European Union was always looking for "an excuse to exclude Turkey and slow down the membership process".