Hakan Fidan to discuss Iran, Ukraine, and NATO cooperation with Dutch Foreign Minister

The new Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen will visit Turkey on Thursday for a working visit and discuss Iran, Ukraine, and cooperation within NATO with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.

A source in the Turkish Foreign Ministry informed TASS about this.

"The Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen will make a working visit to Turkey on April 9, 2026. This will be Minister Berendsen’s first visit to Turkey since taking office. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will exchange information during the meeting about the efforts and contacts being made to seek a peaceful resolution to the conflict that began with attacks by Israel and the United States on Iran and continued with Iran’s attacks on third countries," the agency’s interlocutor noted.

Fidan intends to emphasize that "Israel’s illegal actions and annexation policy on the occupied Palestinian territories, as well as the increasing attacks on Lebanon, threaten regional stability."

The ministers will discuss the Ukrainian conflict and Syria. "It is expected that Fidan will reaffirm [Turkey’s] commitment to further assisting in achieving the success of diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending the Russian-Ukrainian war. He will also stress the need for Syria to remain outside regional conflicts during its recovery process," the source said.

The agenda will also include the issue of European security and NATO. "Fidan will state that initiatives launched by the EU and planned to be implemented in the interest of European security must be carried out in coordination with all allies under the auspices of NATO," the interlocutor added.

The ministers will discuss Turkey-EU relations. Fidan will "emphasize the importance of the EU’s strategic approach to these relations" and express "expectations for progress on issues of mutual interest, including the update of the Customs Union and visa regime liberalization."