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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan marked Europe Day with a message that both affirmed Türkiye's commitment to EU membership while delivering pointed criticism of the bloc's policies, particularly regarding its approach to the Gaza conflict.
"The European Union, the embodiment of European integration, faces multidimensional global and regional challenges," Erdogan said in his statement. "The future of European security architecture is under discussion, while silence on the massacres continuing for 19 months in Gaza and failure to develop an effective policy to stop Israel's attacks are leading to questioning of Union values."
Europe Day, observed annually on May 9, commemorates the 1950 Schuman Declaration that initiated Europe's political and economic integration process, which Erdogan described as "a symbol of Europe's political and economic integration process."
The Turkish president emphasized that despite obstacles to Türkiye's candidacy, the country serves as "a guarantee for the survival of the Union" through its humanitarian, peaceful and constructive policies in crises and conflicts.
"The European Union needs a visionary and courageous perspective like in the years when the foundations of integration were laid," he stated, advocating for an "inclusive and integrative European Union focused on the continent's common interests, not captive to the interests of individual members."
Erdogan's message comes amid broader tensions between Türkiye and EU institutions. The European Parliament recently adopted its 2023-24 Türkiye Report, which Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus criticized as being "filled with unjust accusations" about Turkish institutions and policies.
In his Europe Day message, Erdogan expressed optimism that despite what he characterized as unfair attitudes from some individuals and groups claiming to represent EU institutions, the bloc would "show the prudence to act on the basis of mutual benefit, with a long-term and strategic perspective in the coming period."
"Recent transatlantic and global developments affecting the entire world, which have caused a review of traditional policies, have once again revealed the importance of Türkiye-Union relations," Erdogan added.
Türkiye has been an EU candidate country since 1999, though accession talks have effectively stalled in recent years amid disagreements over various policy issues.
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