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The European Commission said Tuesday it does not “oversee the influence” of Türkiye in its neighborhood, following remarks by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that Europe should not be influenced by Russia, Türkiye or China.
Speaking at a midday briefing, Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho responded to a question from Turkish news agency Anadolu Ajansi (AA) on how von der Leyen’s comments should be interpreted.
“What was said here is, of course, that Türkiye, precisely as a candidate country, also has an additional responsibility in the neighborhood, and we do not oversee the influence that it has in the neighborhood,” Pinho said.
Stressing that Ankara is expected to act in accordance with EU values in its regional engagement, Pinto added, “In this case, the reference was to Western Balkans in line with the EU values. That was the context in which the president referred to Türkiye."
Von der Leyen made the initial remarks on Monday at an event marking the 80th anniversary of the German newspaper Die Zeit in Hamburg.
“We must succeed in completing the European continent so that it is not influenced by Russia, Türkiye, or China,” she said, reiterating her support for EU enlargement.
The comments come amid calls by Türkiye’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) for a proposed Türkiye-Russia-China alignment.
In March, MHP Deputy Chairperson Ilyas Topsakal traveled to Moscow on the instructions of party leader Devlet Bahceli, a close ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to promote the initiative.
“Our party leader, Bahceli, tasked me with this visit to Moscow to hold talks with political parties, bureaucrats, and intellectuals and to explain the content of this initiative in detail,” Topsakal told Russia’s Vedomosti newspaper, describing the proposal as an alternative to what the party calls a “U.S.-Israel evil coalition.”
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