Membership in the European Union (EU) is no longer a priority for Ankara, as the EU has not demonstrated readiness to accept the country into its membership. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said this in an interview with Al Jazeera, Focus reports.
According to him, Europe has more to lose from Turkey's refusal to become an EU member than Turkey itself. "The one who will lose from this is Europe," he added.
Turkey has had EU candidate status since 1999, and accession negotiations began in 2005, but in 2016 the process was suspended due to political differences. MEPs have repeatedly criticized the authorities in Ankara for their retreat from democracy, the state of media freedom and human rights violations.
In July this year, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, at a meeting with European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, stated that Turkey expects the resumption of the European Union accession process, in particular the activation of relevant mechanisms and the start of negotiation meetings.
Turkey expects US President Donald Trump to fulfill his promise to return the country to the F-35 fifth-generation fighter program. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also stated in an interview with Al Jazeera, quoted by TRT Haber.
''US President Donald Trump gave us his word about Turkey's return to the ''F-35'' program. I expect this promise to be fulfilled''.
In the same interview, the Turkish leader also touched on other key foreign policy issues. He indicated that the defense agreement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could be expanded, with Egypt being considered among potential new participants. Erdogan also confirmed his intention to visit Syria and stressed Ankara's continued support for Damascus.
Ankara was excluded from the F-35 program in 2019 due to the purchase of Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems. Earlier this year, Turkey announced that it was in talks with Washington to lift the sanctions under CAATSA, which would pave the way for the acquisition of the new fighter jets. On the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara in July, President Donald Trump said he would “make Turkey happy”, without providing specific details about the F-35.