Why Europe is Getting Closer to Turkey

Why Europe is Getting Closer to Turkey

This video by TLDR News EU explains the shifting geopolitical dynamics between Europe and Turkey. While the relationship was historically strained due to Turkey's domestic political crackdowns, maritime disputes, and complex foreign policy decisions, recent global events have driven a strategic reset. Europe is increasingly viewing Turkey as a critical economic, energy, and defense partner, choosing to prioritize strategic benefits over concerns regarding Turkish democracy.

Key Drivers for the Strategic Reset

The changing relationship is primarily driven by shifting security dynamics and external pressures affecting Eu

rope:

Weaning Off Russian Energy: Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe has had to quickly diversify away from Russian fossil fuels [01:17]. Turkey's geographical location connects Europe with alternative oil and gas suppliers in the Caucuses and Central Asia [01:46].

The Return of Donald Trump: With Trump back in the White House, the transatlantic relationship has faced strain, forcing European nations to realize they can no longer solely rely on the US as a security guarantor [01:30]. This has accelerated Europe's push to diversify trade and defense relationships [01:37].

Geographical and Diplomatic Clout: Turkey controls maritime access to the B

lack Sea and defends NATO's southeastern flank [02:00]. Additionally, Turkey has proven to be a vital mediator, playing key roles in the 2022 Black Sea grain deal, post-Assad Syria, and Gaza ceasefire talks [02:52].

Turkey's Defense Industry Appeal

Turkey's defense capabilities are highly attractive to European countries as they focus on rapid rearmament. Turkey possesses NATO's second-largest military [02:07] and an expanding catalog of domestic military production including missiles, artillery shells, and drones [02:15].

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| TURKEY'S DEFENSE INDUSTRY LINKS |

+-

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| |

| [Baykar (Turkey)] <--- 50/50 Venture ---> [Leonardo (ITA)] |

| [Baykar (Turkey)] <--- Partnership ------> [Saffron (FRA)] |

| |

| [Turkish Aerospace] <-- Joint System ---> [Airbus (ESP)] |

| |

| [Turkey (Gov)] <--- Strategic Framework -> [United Kingdom] |

| |

+-------------------------------------------------------------+

Baykar

Drones: The Bayraktar TB2 drone is combat-proven globally, notably used in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Africa [02:24].

Industry Partnerships: Baykar partnered with Italy's Leonardo for a 50/50 drone venture and signed a strategic partnership with France's Saffron [03:08]. Turkish Aerospace is collaborating with Airbus on a combat training system for Spain [03:31].

Export Milestone: Turkey's defense and aviation exports surpassed $11 billion for the first time in the year leading to June, with 57% going directly to NATO allies [03:43].

Practical Signs of Warming Relations

Europe's shifting approach has resulted in active political engagement and financial

cooperation:

High-Level EU Meetings: Prior to a NATO summit held in Ankara, top EU officials, including foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, held a "jumbo meeting" with Turkish President Erdogan, labeling Turkey a key partner in security, migration, and energy [03:57].

EIB Financing Resumed: The European Investment Bank resumed financing Turkish projects after a seven-year freeze, reversing restrictions implemented in 2019 due to drilling disputes near Cyprus [04:25].

The Domestic Crackdown and Europe's Silence

To secure these defense and energy benefits, Western capitals have largely ignored President Erdogan’s escalating political crackdowns [05:55].

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| TARGET | ACTION / CONSEQUENCE |

+-------------------+---------------------------------------------------+

| Ekrem Imamoglu | Jailed on corruption charges. Istanbul Mayor and |

| | main rival to Erdogan from opposition CHP party. |

+-------------------+---------------------------------------------------+

| Ozgur Ozel | Leader of the opposition CHP, removed from his |

| | post by a court ruling. |

+-------------------+---------------------------------------------------+

| Publi

c Space & | Over 100 anti-NATO protesters and several |

| Media | journalists arrested ahead of the NATO summit. |

+-------------------+---------------------------------------------------+

This silence marks a sharp contrast from 2018, when European nations blocked Erdogan from hosting the NATO summit, and 2021, when Western ambassadors faced expulsion for demanding the release of political philanthropist Osman Kavala [06:09].

Future Desires and Existing Hurdles

While Erdogan welcomes the normalization of ties, Turkey has further objectives it wants to achieve with the EU, though deep roadblocks remain.

What Turkey Wants From Europ

e:

Access to the EU's €150 billion defense loan scheme [06:43].

Modernization of the 1995 Turkey-EU customs union [06:50].

EU visa liberalization for Turkish citizens [06:50].

Progress on EU accession talks (frozen since the mid-2010s) [06:56].

Remaining Hurdles:

Despite the warmth in economic and defense spaces, a full-scale rapprochement is bottlenecked by territorial disputes. Competing maritime claims between Greece and Turkey, along with the unresolved division of Cyprus, remain the biggest challenges, as both Greece and Cyprus utilize their EU memberships to hinder unrestricted alignment [07:11].

Why Europe is Getting Closer to Turkey

TLDR News EU · 8