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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on his return flight from Kazakhstan, declared that "Türkiye is a major opportunity for the European Union and the Union must make a historic decision on whether to seize it."
He delivered a wide-ranging press conference in which he also called for Israel's provocations in the region to be neutralized, previewed the July NATO summit in Ankara and said Kaan is only the "first step" in Türkiye's fighter aircraft ambitions.
On EU membership, Erdogan told reporters: "Türkiye is a major opportunity for the European Union and the Union must make a historic decision on evaluating this. Europe, as I have expressed before, has come to a fork in the road and at this fork it must assess the situation much more carefully."
He acknowledged that some EU countries saw Türkiye as a competitor, but said Türkiye's membership ambitions were not motivated by rivalry: "We did not put forward our full membership vision to be a competitor to anyone or to trip anyone up. We sincerely want to strengthen both our country and the Union as a part of the European Union. But unfortunately, the EU is not aware of this."
Erdogan said Türkiye had remained committed to EU membership despite what he described as "sometimes ambivalent, sometimes outright discriminatory" practices: "Türkiye is not a country that is a burden to the structures it is part of, it is a country that takes on burdens. Every platform we are part of is a rising value."
"Sometimes we hear very unfortunate and shallow statements directed at our country from within the Union. We tell our counterparts that this attitude damages the European Union at a time when the world is transforming in every field," he added.
On the Gulf crisis, Erdogan stated: "One of the main factors that created this crisis is Israel's endless provocations, as I emphasize at every opportunity. Israel, seized by certain dreams and utopias, has repeatedly shown that it does not hesitate to set our region ablaze for its own ambitions."
"Israel wants this war to spread across the region and for the fog in our region to thicken further," the Turkish president noted.
"It is essential that Israel's provocations are first neutralized and then real peace is built," he added, saying that Türkiye believes regional problems could be solved by regional countries: "We must increase our efforts together for peace, stability and welfare and disrupt bloody games. If lasting stability is desired in the region, everyone must set aside their short-term calculations."
On the July 7-8 NATO Leaders' Summit to be held in Ankara, Erdogan said: "The NATO Leaders' Summit we will host in Ankara between July 7-8 holds critical importance in the history of the Alliance."
"Recent developments both in our region and in the world have increased the importance of the Ankara summit somewhat further. In Ankara, we expect important decisions to be taken regarding the future of the Alliance and the shape of the global security architecture going forward," the Turkish president stated.
"The world of today is not a continuation of the old world in which NATO was founded. A new world has been built, and in this new world, NATO's position is very different," Erdogan noted.
He added that "fair burden-sharing, sincere cooperation and a shared security understanding within NATO are very, very important for the future of the Alliance. As Türkiye, we are ready to do our part for a more resolute NATO that is better prepared against threats."
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Erdogan stated that Türkiye's demands regarding the F-35 are clear, noting that Turkish officials are maintaining contact with their American counterparts and expressing hope for a positive result.
Regarding Türkiye's fifth-generation fighter jet Kaan project, he said that a new story will begin in this field once the process is completed. He described Kaan as a first step for the country, adding that they will undoubtedly build better and stronger systems in the future
He cited SAHA 2026 as evidence of Türkiye's defense industrial standing: 150,000-plus visitors, more than 200 new products, and $8 billion in business volume.
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