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NATO has urged the EU and Turkey to improve their relations as US President Donald Trump from European Security Forces Capitals of the continent to quickly rethink their alliances.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte urged EU leaders to intensify commitment with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after years of tense relations, according to officials informed of his remarks
This occurs while Brussels explores the means of increasing collaboration with Turkey and other neighbors not from the EU as part of a massive scale of European defense capacities.
Trump’s threats to withdraw US security guarantees from NATO European Allies and its decision to restart links with Russia and reduce support to Ukraine have frightened EU capitals. In addition to a precipitation to increase defense expenses, some EU capitals defended work in a “coalition of will” with EU countries such as Norway and the United Kingdom.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey Hakan Fidan attended a rally of the main European military powers in London earlier this month to discuss support for Ukraine and broader defense issues.
This followed Rutte’s advocacy at a private lunch with EU leaders earlier in February where he increased the importance of increased cooperation with Turkey and urged those present to engage with Ankara to make it work, according to three people informed of the discussion.
A spokesman for Rutte, a former Dutch Prime Minister who sometimes confronted Erdoğan bitterly during his mandate, refused to comment. The NATO Secretary General told the European Parliament in January that “involving EU allies in the industrial defense efforts of the EU is vital, I believe, for the security of Europe”.
“Things change. At some point, you must decide who you want in your team, whatever the problems you may have, “said a senior EU responsible for relations with Turkey. “But they must also sort their ambiguity on Russia.”
Turkey has not joined the EU and other Western allies to impose direct sanctions in Moscow in response to its large -scale invasion of Ukraine and has maintained solid economic and energy ties with Russia. Athens highlighted Turkey’s lack of participation in the sanctions.
Although EU’s direct participation in defense and security problems is limited to areas such as military mobility and certain maintenance and supervision missions, the block has important financial levers to shape the collaboration of the defense industry.
The Turkey’s arms industry is an element in a broader dispute among the Member States as to whether the defense companies of the third country should benefit from EU initiatives to increase arms expenditure. The push to increase engagement with Ankara is also intended for bilateral links with EU capitals, officials said.
Turkey is technically an EU membership candidate, but the process has long been moribund. The block suspended various dialogue channels – including security and defense – partly due to an increase in tensions with Greece.
A Greek diplomat said that Ohenes had remained “careful rather than dogmatic” on increased collaboration of defense with Ankara. “Turkey must be constructive in the treatment of unanswered problems with the Member States,” he added, referring to Greece and Cyprus.
The Member State of the EU Cyprus, which has been divided since 1974, when Turkey has invaded its North in response to a coup d’etat inspired by Athens which aimed to unite the island with Greece, is one of the greatest obstacles to the deepening of links. Turkish officials complain that the situation above the island of just over 1 million people have paralyzed initiatives to expand cooperation on European security issues.
Trump’s arrival has changed the prospects, several diplomats told Financial Times.
“We are currently determining the best line of conduct,” Fidan told the FT last week when he was asked about Trump’s potential impact on Europe security agreements. “If this results in a new European security structure, we are ready to collaborate.”
