Greece is showing strong resistance to Turkey’s request to join the European defense program Safe, as evidenced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s statements in Parliament yesterday. However, pressure from our country’s European partners is clearly visible in several cases. After NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, German Foreign Minister Jochen Wanteful from Romania also expressed reservations about our country’s stance toward Turkey regarding its inclusion in Europe’s defense program. “Every country must learn from others, share ideas and seek ways to cooperate. This is what we advocate and we believe we can all work together,” the German Foreign Minister stated, simultaneously noting that “there is a good consultation process with Turkey, as well as with our partners Bulgaria and Greece.”
German Foreign Minister visits Ankara
Today, the German Foreign Minister is in Ankara making his first official visit since taking office. In the talks he will have with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan officially, developments in the Middle East are expected to be discussed. It is considered certain, however, that the two ministers will also discuss Turkey’s integration into the Safe defense agreement and the objections raised by our country. Turkey has already submitted a request to the Commission for participation in the program, but is facing consequences from the reservations raised by our country. Indicative of the climate prevailing in Brussels are the statements of Commission spokesperson (responsible for Defense matters) Thomas Renier, who in a press conference hastened to point out that approval of Turkey’s participation in the program depends on the European Council, which takes into account member states’ concerns. He also clarified that the European Commission takes member states’ concerns seriously, thus making an indirect but clear reference to the objections raised by Greece, emphasizing that “no third country can act against the interests of a member state or the European Union itself.”
Within this climate, the issue is expected to be raised and occupy today’s Fidan-Wanteful meeting in Ankara, especially since Germany is expressing concerns at this juncture about Russian violations of its airspace and looks to Turkey’s defense support. It should be noted that the German Foreign Minister had scheduled a visit to Athens last Monday to meet with his Greek counterpart, which was canceled due to Mr. Gerapetritis’s participation in the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit.
However, next week and specifically at the Summit on October 23-24, Europe’s defense fortification is expected to occupy the heads of member states and decisions may possibly be made. In any case, countries seeking to join the Safe program have a deadline for submitting their request until the end of November, with the first disbursements scheduled for early next year.
