Gonul Tol: Don’t cut Turkey out of European defence efforts because of Erdoğan

Source:Financial Times Date:23Jun2024

To stand on its own feet on defence, Europe must start entertaining uncomfortable ideas. That includes incorporating Turkey into plans to scale up Europe’s military capabilities. For many European leaders, however, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tops the list of unsavoury partners — and for good reason. His autocratic rule, unpredictability and tirades against the west often anger them.

The Turkish strongman’s long foot-dragging on Swedish and Finnish Nato accession was only the latest headache for western leaders. Add Erdoğan’s cosy relations with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s troubled history with Greece and Cyprus to the mix, and it is clear why Ankara is not viewed as an indispensable ally but a spoiler of European security.