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Ankara is warning that it must be included in future European defence plans, citing its strategic location and military strength, despite challenging relations with both Russia and Europe.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan insisted on Thursday that his country must not be excluded from any future European defence strategy. “A security architecture approach that leaves out a military force like Turkey, would not be very realistic,” Fidan said at a joint news conference with his Albanian counterpart in Ankara. “If a European security architecture is going to become operational, it cannot be done without Turkey,” he added, pointing out that the views and policies of the Trump administration regarding the war in Ukraine are almost diametrically opposed to the previous administration. The comments come as European countries grapple with the challenge of ending their reliance on US security guarantees.Turkey has a large military and a strategic location, but its relations with Moscow and its specific foreign policy priorities might be difficult to match to a hypothetical new European defence alliance.Fidan also called for urgent international action to prevent further humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, warning of the risk of mass deaths due to starvation and disease. He urged the global community to come up with alternative methods to deliver aid into the territory.Meanwhile, Turkey and Albania are aiming to increase their bilateral trade volume to €1 billion a year, with a longer-term goal of doubling that via enhanced business collaboration and new investment opportunities.
