"Turkey must be included in all of Europe's defense and security structures."
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made this statement on Monday, ahead of a NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara. Addressing parliamentary delegates from all 32 NATO member states in Istanbul, he argued that Turkey's contributions to European security are sometimes overlooked.
Erdogan emphasized that Turkey wants to participate in all defense and security initiatives on the continent.
Access to EU Security Initiative
The central issue is Turkey's access to the European Union's 150-billion-euro ($176 billion) Security Action for Europe (Safe) initiative, which is designed to strengthen European defense capabilities.
While Turkey is technically eligible for the initiative, approval from all 27 EU members is required. Greece has threatened to block this approval. Erdogan specifically asked lawmakers for their support for Turkey's inclusion in EU defense and security initiatives.
NATO Defense Industry Trade
Erdogan also urged NATO to remove all barriers blocking defense industry trade between members.
To overcome challenges, obstacles to defense industry trade must be removed while ensuring balanced burden-sharing among allies.
Background: Turkey's Defense Industry and US Sanctions
Turkey possesses the second-largest army in NATO after the United States and maintains a growing defense industry. However, this sector has been significantly affected by US sanctions.
The sanctions were imposed over Turkey's purchase of a Russian S-400 missile defense system. The US also removed Turkey from the F-35 program.
Lifting these sanctions (CAATSA) requires US congressional approval, which observers say is unlikely before the summit. US President Donald Trump has pledged to give Erdogan something that would make him "very happy" during the summit. Analysts suggest this could be the delivery of US-made F110 engines for Turkey's KAAN fighter jet project, which has been blocked since the sanctions.