Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan once again emphasised the strategic importance of Turkey for Europe and that only the entry of Turkey into the EU can prevent the European bloc from continuing to lose power and influence, during a joint appearance in Ankara with the Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, on an official visit to the Eurasian country.
‘If the European Union wants to avoid or even reverse its loss of power and influence, it can only achieve this through the full membership of Turkey,’ said the Turkish president during his appearance with Tusk at the presidential palace in Ankara, as reported by the Turkish press. ’We constantly emphasise that full integration into the EU remains our strategic goal. We frequently discuss with our (European) counterparts our desire to advance in cooperation with the EU, based on mutual respect and benefit,’ insisted Erdoğan.
During his speech to authorities and journalists, the Turkish president said that he had the opportunity to discuss with the Polish prime minister the possible steps to end the war in Ukraine, but that he also exchanged views with him on the future of European security and other regional issues, including the situation in Syria and Palestine.
‘We consider Ukraine’s acceptance of a ceasefire to be a positive and important development. We are now confident that Russia will respond constructively,’ said Erdoğan, reiterating Turkey’s offer to host peace talks: ‘If these developments bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table, we are ready to facilitate the peace talks.’
Tusk: ‘Turkey’s role could be crucial’
For his part, Tusk also emphasised the key role that Turkey can play in the conflict: ‘I have made a clear proposal to President Erdoğan: that Turkey assume the maximum possible responsibility in the peace process, guaranteeing stability and security throughout our region,’ said Tusk, who confirmed that the Turkish president will travel to Warsaw in April. ‘It is becoming clear that a ceasefire and peace are a goal for Poland, Turkey and the United States. All this gives hope that Turkey and Poland can contribute positively to the developments in Ukraine and in Europe,’ the Polish prime minister emphasised.
Before starting his official visit to Turkey to meet with Erdoğan, Tusk had already referred in other statements to the importance of NATO and the EU cooperating effectively to guarantee stability along the border between Russia and Ukraine if a ceasefire is finally achieved, adding that ’ the role of Turkey in this respect could be crucial’, thus referring to a possible deployment of Turkish troops in Ukraine.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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