„Our military industry is the pride of our country. It is writing history", said Turkish President Erdogan recently.
Ankara has something to offer Europe in terms of security. And currently, the partnership with the country that has the second largest army in NATO after the US may prove to be key for Europe.
An important player in ensuring protection from Russia
„Russia will not stop until it is stopped", said Danish Minister Mette Frederiksen after the series of Russian provocations against Estonia, Poland and Romania. And according to many, the strengthening of European ranks can be achieved through a more expanded partnership with Turkey. The country has access to the Black Sea and is of extremely important strategic importance for NATO and Europe as a whole.
“Europe needs partners who are close and have modern equipment, cheap production and reliable supply chains”, says Samuel Doveri Westerby of the ENC think tank in Brussels. “Turkey meets all these conditions. That is why it is a logical partner in terms of defense and security.”
Ankara knows this well. At the aviation and technology exhibition in Istanbul, the industry demonstrated confidence. Its own fighter jets, high-tech drones - Turkey wants to be among the world leaders. The "Bayraktar" drones are flying in Ukraine, Poland and Romania have also bought from them.
Such a partnership was unthinkable until a few years ago
Europe is betting on Turkish technologies, and industry representatives there are responding willingly. "All the European delegations ask us the same question: Can you produce faster? Can you deliver more? And we say: Yes, we can," says Mehmet Demiroglu, head of the state-owned Turkish Aerospace Industries.
In response to Russia's violation of Lithuanian airspace, Turkey sent an early warning plane to the Baltic state in September. Erdogan has also previously stressed that he is ready to send troops as part of a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine. This despite the good relations that Ankara is trying to maintain with Moscow.
Turkey is also ready to join the "Security Measures for Europe" (SAFE) instrument, which the Council adopted in May this year and which provides an additional 150 billion euros for security procurement.
„Turkey is welcome in the SAFE program. "A few years ago this was unthinkable," commented Samuel Doveri Vesterby.
Turkey remains a difficult partner
At the same time, Turkey remains a difficult partner for the West. The conflicts with Greece and Cyprus are still unresolved, and its proximity to Vladimir Putin is causing concern. The country also has serious problems with democracy, and EU accession talks have been frozen for years. But despite the repression of the opposition, criticism from Brussels is almost non-existent. Why?
“Before, it was about democracy. Today, security is the priority. The threat from Russia overshadows everything else. But where there is no independent judiciary, the means are not safe either,” commented the head of ENC. The partnership with Turkey remains risky, but the fear of Russia in Europe is growing. And that is precisely why Ankara seems to be getting closer to its NATO partners.
Author: Julia Khan