The Ankara Stakeholder Workshop took place in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in Ankara, Türkiye, on February 16th, 2024. The panel was organised by Sabancı University as part of the ENGAGE Stakeholder Workshop series, and it was attended by researchers and policymakers from the Turkish MFA. Participants shared their insights on the role of strategic partnerships and Türkiye's unique relationship with the EU.

The panel, titled "The European Union and its Strategic Partnerships with a Focus on Türkiye", assessed the current functioning of strategic partnerships and the EU's use of them as an external action tool. Various aspects of the EU's strategic partnerships and EU-Türkiye relations were analysed. The main takeaways from the discussion include that the EU’s strategic partnerships are flawed in their current conceptualisation, often asymmetrical in nature, and that it is not a category suitable for some of the EU's current partners. Officials from the MFA stressed that, despite the unsuitability of strategic partnerships as they stand, Türkiye seeks a closer relationship with the EU.

Session participants included Serhad Varli, head of the MFA's Center for Strategic Research, and officials from various MFA departments, including the department for EU Affairs, Energy, Environment, Security and Intelligence, among others.