Türkiye positioned as key guarantor for Europe’s defense autonomy: Report
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrives before a meeting with European Commission President and EU Council President at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 9, 2020. (AFP Photo)
Türkiye emerges as a potential guarantor of Europe’s defense autonomy, according to a Greek academician’s recent article in the daily Kathimerini, published on Monday.
Recalling the intensified negotiations between Türkiye and major European powers on the future of European security architecture, Stavros Ioannidis, an assistant professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, stated that it seemed unimaginable only a few years ago.
“Times, however, have changed, and the international situation, as well as the declared intention of the U.S. to reduce its military footprint on the Old Continent, creates a first-class opportunity for Türkiye, not only to return to the European ‘living rooms’ but to assume a leading role in NATO and Europe,” he added.
Not favorable to Greek interests
This situation is not favorable to Greek interests or the country’s weak defense industry, which does not appear to be prepared to keep up with the pace required by international developments, Ioannidis stated.
He further maintained that Türkiye, on the one hand, expanded its food footprint from Syria to Northern and Eastern Africa, while on the other hand, successfully penetrated European defence markets, as evidenced by the export of ammunition and drones to many European countries, as well as close and successful cooperation between Türkiye, Italy, and Spain.
“While the Old Continent seems weak to stand on its own two feet defensively, Türkiye, through its President Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, clearly says that only it can save the EU from the impasse in the economy, defense, and politics,” he underlined.
Türkiye’s lifeline to EU
Recently President Erdogan stated that only Türkiye has the capability to rescue the European Union from the “deadlock it has fallen into” regarding issues such as the economy and defense.
“It is Türkiye and its full EU membership that can save the European Union from its deadlock, ranging from the economy to defense and from politics to international standing,” Erdogan said in a televised address after a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara. He also added that Türkiye can throw a “lifeline” to the EU’s rapidly aging economy and work force.
European security feature with Türkiye
Meanwhile, FM Fidan also emphasized that any future European security framework must include Türkiye.
“Türkiye cannot be left out of a restructured European security architecture. A security system that excludes Türkiye, a major military power, is simply not realistic,” Fidan said during a joint press conference with Albanian Foreign Minister Igli Hasani in Ankara.
