The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, as he declared the Alliance Summit in Ankara open.

“To reach the NATO 3.0 goal as soon as possible, I would like to draw attention to two issues. The first is the lifting of restrictions on cooperation among allies, particularly in the defense industry,” Erdogan said.

The Turkish President noted that he welcomes the fact that this message was also emphasized at the Defense Industry Forum, both by representatives of the defense industry and by government officials.

Erdoğan’s second message concerned Europe directly. As he said, European allies must assume greater responsibility for the continent’s defense, but without taking actions that could weaken the unity of the Alliance or transatlantic relations.

“As European allies, while we assume greater responsibility for the continent’s defense, we must avoid actions that could weaken the unity of the Alliance and transatlantic relations,” he said.

Erdogan addressed specifically those European Union member states that are also NATO members, sending a message that Turkey should not be left out of European defense initiatives.

“Here, I would like to address in particular our allies who are members of the European Union. The maximum benefit from the Union’s efforts in the field of security can only be achieved by avoiding unnecessary duplication with NATO,” he said.

The Turkish President noted that excluding countries that are members of NATO but not of the European Union would lead to a waste of resources and an “artificial division” in Europe.

“While a model of cooperation based on logic and prudence is possible, excluding allies who are not members of the Union will result in the unnecessary waste of limited resources and an artificial division in Europe, which we do not want at all,” he emphasized.

The Turkish President said that his country’s main success in recent years has been in the defense industry.

“Undoubtedly, our country’s real success is the leap forward in the defense industry. In terms of production and export capacity, we have joined the ranks of the top 10 countries in the world,” he said.

According to him, Turkey has allocated an additional $24 billion for air defense and missile defense capabilities—areas in which, as he said, the Alliance has a great need.

Erdoğan also noted that Turkey has the largest ground forces in Europe and that it is making efforts to place its capabilities at NATO’s disposal when required.

He further noted that Turkey is among the allies that contribute most to the Alliance’s operations, missions, and exercises, citing Kosovo, the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea, and other regions.

In his speech, Erdogan also made a special reference to the crisis with Iran, praising the stance of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“I commend the resolute stance demonstrated by my friend, Mr. Trump, in steering the crisis with Iran toward a resolution, despite attempts at sabotage,” he said.

Source: CNA