“Türkiye’s full inclusion in the European Union’s defence efforts is indispensable for Europe’s peace and security,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on November 7, choosing to speak on the matter amid the speculation over what the election of Donald Trump to a second term as US president could mean for the future coherence of Nato.

As analysts looked at whether Trump could go so far as to withdraw the US from Nato, taking Washington on an isolationist path and essentially leaving the European Nato states to attend to their own defence, Erdogan emphasised that Turkey—which has the largest armed land forces in Nato apart from those of the US—has an essential role in the European Union’s security framework.

Erdogan spoke at the fifth European Political Community summit in Budapest. With the possibility on the horizon of Russia becoming an increasing menace to Europe, he was clearly attempting to use the defence issue to leverage a more favourable response from European capitals to the suggestion that Turkey’s application to join the EU should be unfrozen.

Erdogan criticised the prolonged delay in Turkey’s EU accession process—there has been no progress to speak of for at least six years—stating: “There is no reasonable explanation for the blocking of the accession process of a candidate country like Türkiye, which has made significant contributions to the prosperity and security of the continent for years.”

As regards the European bloc’s growing role in common defence efforts by member states, its Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) involves the deployment of military or civilian missions to preserve peace, prevent conflict and strengthen international security in line with the principles of the United Nations Charter. However, the EU command and control structures remain modest. They are far smaller than the Nato Command Structure (NCS).

At the end of October, the European Commission acknowledged that the EU accession negotiations with Turkey remained in the standstill mode. It did so as it presented its annual enlargement package that provides state-of-play assessments as regards EU candidate countries.

“Serious concerns [regarding Turkey] remain in the areas of fundamental rights and rule of law, including the independence of the judiciary,” the Commission said.

It added: “Dialogue on rule of law and fundamental rights remains an integral part of the EU-Türkiye relationship. Following the April 2024 strategic guidance of the European Council, relations with Türkiye were marked by a gradual re-engagement, and concrete steps were taken towards constructive exchanges on issues of joint interest.”

In further remarks at the summit, looking at the state of the Ukraine war, Erdogan added: “The negative effects of the war in Ukraine are deepening day by day. The prolongation of the war leaves less and less room for diplomacy.”

Turning to the crisis in Gaza, he referred to the toll taken on civilian lives as a “common shame of humanity,”

“Considering the loss of nearly 50,000 lives, it is essential to pressure Israel to ensure an immediate ceasefire and to facilitate sufficient humanitarian aid to the region,” he said.