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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on French President Emmanuel Macron to step up defense collaboration within NATO, warning that escalating conflicts across the region and the globe demand a stronger collective response from the alliance's members.
In a phone call on Thursday, Erdogan told Macron that the current security landscape "necessitates increased defense cooperation among NATO allies," according to a statement from Türkiye's Communications Directorate. He pressed for movement on long-stalled joint defense industry initiatives, stressing that "it is important to accelerate joint steps in the defense industry that have long been delayed."
The conversation extended beyond NATO matters to address the ongoing conflict in Iran, which Erdogan framed as a growing threat to broader stability. He warned that allowing the conflict to drag on would be "a source of instability for both the region and the world."
Erdogan said Türkiye is engaged in "intensive efforts to strengthen the diplomatic ground and return to negotiations," signaling Ankara's intention to play a mediating role. He added that Türkiye is closely monitoring developments in the Islamic republic, expressing that Ankara was "saddened by the civilian deaths and concerned about their increase."
The two leaders also discussed the state of Turkish-French bilateral relations and wider regional and global issues, though the directorate's statement did not elaborate on specifics. The call comes against a backdrop of shifting European security calculations, with NATO members increasingly reassessing defense spending commitments and industrial cooperation in response to multiple simultaneous security challenges.
Türkiye and France, both major NATO members with significant defense industries, have historically had a complex relationship on security matters, marked by periods of both tension and collaboration. Ankara has long sought greater integration into European defense supply chains and joint production programs.
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