Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan said something important today, stating, “Europe needs Türkiye much more than Turkey needs Europe.”
After Trump constantly threatened Europe with withdrawal from NATO, the EU took this risk into account and began to establish closer relations with Turkey. Turkey has the second largest army in NATO after the USA. With a troop strength of 700,000, Turkey possesses far more human resources than many EU countries.
Now, the possibility of making Turkey a privileged member is being considered within the EU. Perhaps Turkey won’t become a full member, but it will be granted privileged status, allowing it to benefit from EU funds. Furthermore, Türkiye’s role as a final destination for migrants is another factor that reassures the EU. With the 3 billion EU dollars they provide to Turkey each year, tens of thousands of migrants are being kept in the country, and the country’s borders are under control.
Even just as a country preventing migrants, Turkey is a country that the EU should support, and Erdogan, by saying this, made a very accurate statement: the EU needs Turkey much more than Türkiye does.
Meanwhile, let’s quickly remind ourselves that Türkiye’s presence not only benefits NATO, but its proximity to Russia, Iran, Iraq, and Syria could even help prevent a potential future Russian threat.
It’s sheer folly for the EU, which has managed to include a semi-dictatorial country like Hungary, to ignore Turkey.
Reggie Regg