Erdogan demands Turkey's role in European defence ahead of NATO summit
Turkey must be included in all of Europe's defence structures and defence trade restrictions between NATO members must be removed, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, ahead of a key NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara.
Speaking to parliamentary delegates from all 32 NATO member states in Istanbul, Erdogan stressed that Turkey's contributions to European security are often overlooked. He called for Turkey to participate in all defence and security initiatives on the continent.
His remarks come as Europe seeks to revamp its defences in light of the threat from Russia and the risk of a US pullback from NATO. A central issue is Turkey's access to the European Union's €150-billion ($176-billion) Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative, a scheme aimed at strengthening European defence capabilities.
Although Turkey is technically eligible for the SAFE initiative, it requires approval from all 27 EU members — a condition that Greece has threatened to block. Erdogan urged lawmakers to support Turkey's inclusion in EU defence initiatives.
The Turkish leader also called on NATO to remove all barriers blocking defence industry trade between allies. Turkey has the second-largest army in the alliance after the United States and a growing defence industry, but it has faced US sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for purchasing a Russian S-400 missile defence system.
These sanctions have excluded Turkey from the F-35 programme and blocked delivery of F110 engines needed for its KAAN fighter jet. While the US has expressed a desire to resolve the dispute, lifting CAATSA sanctions requires congressional approval, which observers consider unlikely before the summit.
US President Donald Trump has pledged to give Erdogan something that would make him 'very happy' during the NATO gathering. Analysts speculate this could involve delivery of several dozen F110 engines for Turkey's KAAN jets, which have been blocked since the sanctions were imposed.
