Newsletters
The European Parliament's Rapporteur for Türkiye Nacho Sanchez Amor stated on Tuesday that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's grouping of Türkiye alongside Russia and China as influencing Europe was "geopolitically flawed."
He added that Ursula von der Leyen's statement is "totally inconsistent" with signals for stronger EU-Türkiye security and defense cooperation.
The European Commission itself also sought to clarify that the remark was "not meant as a comparison with any other country."
Speaking at an event marking the 80th anniversary of Die Zeit newspaper in Hamburg on Monday, von der Leyen said, "We must succeed in completing the European continent so that it is not influenced by Russia, Türkiye, or China."
"We must think bigger and more geopolitically," she said.
She also said Europe had relied for too long on cheap Russian energy, cheap Chinese labor and American security support, and that this era was over.
"We must reposition ourselves completely. We must be more independent," she said. She also called for qualified majority voting to replace unanimity in EU foreign policy decision-making and said, "abandoning nuclear energy was a mistake."
Sanchez Amor responded directly on X, saying, "In a recent speech, Commission President von der Leyen portrayed Türkiye as influencing Europe along with Russia and China. It's totally inconsistent with recurrent signals for stronger cooperation on security and defense and it is a geopolitically flawed analysis."
The European Commission moved to soften the impact of von der Leyen's remark in response to a question from Türkiye's state-run Anadolu Agency (AA).
"Türkiye is unquestionably an important partner in the region both economically and politically. Türkiye's mention was a recognition of its geopolitical clout, size and ambitions, not least in the Western Balkans, and not meant as a comparison with any other country," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson cited Türkiye's role in the Trans-Caspian Middle Corridor, migration management and added: "Türkiye is also an important NATO ally and EU candidate country, and as such, a key interlocutor."
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
3 min read
