By Barçın Yinanç
When I say Turkey is a European power, pro-government pundits often react with visible discomfort. Yet, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s message on European security is a testament to Turkey’s geostrategic positioning as a European power.
He repeatedly claims that “Europe’s security is unimaginable without Turkey.” That’s not the rhetoric of a country on the sidelines. Had Erdoğan viewed Turkey as an outsider, then his message would have meant offering support to Europe as a strategic foot soldier, which would not be welcome by the Turkish public.
The government’s recent decision to stop dragging its feet and finally greenlight the European Commission's demand to appoint a defense “advisor” to Ankara is a small yet symbolic sign of Turkey’s efforts to keep the country as an integral part of European defense.
After remaining deaf to alarm bells and, in fact, remaining in bed even after hearing them, the European Union (EU) is trying to get up and take defense matters into its own hands.
Turkey has long viewed NATO as the essential defense organisation for Europe. As it is not an EU member, defense initiatives taken by the 27-member bloc have caused unease in Ankara. EU groupings within NATO have always met Ankara’s reaction as well.
MUTUAL DISTRUST
Defense issues have never been an essential part of Turkey-EU institutional relations, which have remained in a coma since the coup attempt of 2016.
The distrust on defense issues has been mutual. In fact, the Strategic Compass, the action plan adopted by the EU in 2022 that establishes a common strategic vision and concrete objectives to strengthen the EU's security and defence policy, highlighted the awkward defense relationship between the bloc and Turkey. It was not totally clear whether Turkey was seen as an ally or rival.
Meanwhile, changing gear, the EU has for the first time in its history a commissioner for defense and space. President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has put forward Lithuanian Andrius Kubilius as the first ever commissioner for defence and space.
Brussels has also recently renewed its wish to appoint a liaison officer to Ankara to deal with defense issues. “The EU has been considering deploying defence attaches to countries with which it has security and defence partnerships such as Japan,” said Çiğdem Nas, the secretary general of the Economic Development Foundation (IKV), adding the EU attaches great importance to strengthening partnerships with like-minded countries around the world.
Such tailored partnerships will be instrumental in bolstering the EU’s capabilities in defence and strengthening the ability to stand up to challenges such as the joint fight against terrorism, according to Nas.
Turkey will certainly enjoy strengthening cooperation with the EU to fight terrorism, since it has argued for years that Europe has not shown enough attention to the fight against the PKK. Yet, the issue might not carry its former importance for Ankara, as the “Terror-Free Turkey” process may weaken the need for such close coordination.
CHANGING ATTITUDE
The recent change of heart could be explained by the worry that fast-moving developments might leave Turkey excluded from Europe’s security architecture. That perceived possibility has been the main motivation behind Turkey’s participation in the coalition of the willing that works on security guarantees for Ukraine. Yet so far, Turkey has shown a low profile and participated in the technical meetings, abstaining from attending at the highest level at political gatherings.
Vice President Cevdet Yılmaz was an online attendee at the gathering of European leaders with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelenskyy at a meeting hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Sept. 4.
By contrast, Erdoğan was there in person at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) organized in China on Aug. 31. Often dubbed as NATO’s ASEAN equivalent, the SCO meeting took place with the participation of Russian, Indian and North Korean leaders and turned into an anti-Western showdown.
As the mixed signals coming from Ankara tend to make European leaders uneasy, Ankara’s change of course about the defense advisor will come as yet another confusing sign.
The current defense attaché at the Polish Embassy is expected to start working as the commission’s point person as of Nov. 1.
Nas sees the shift as part of the “two almost concomitant developments in Turkey's EU relations that have been taking place in the last decade.”
As Turkey’s eligibility for membership declined, Turkey’s instrumentality for the EU in areas such as irregular migration, border control, trade, and security and defence amplified, according to Nas.
“This recent move by the EU can be seen as another brick in the construction of a strategic partnership between the EU and Turkey. As the EU’s security and defence needs intensify, Turkey emerges as a useful partner both with a view to its fledgling defence industry, and its geostrategic significance to protect the EU from security threats,” Nas told me.
The Turkish defence industry can support the EU’s efforts to bolster its defence capabilities, especially if Turkey is included in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) regulation, said Nas.
Turkey is interested in taking part in SAFE, and given the EU’s notorious bureaucracy, the defence advisor can play an important role in liaising with the Turkish administration to improve cooperation and coordination in defence matters.
