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Turkish Defense Ministry officials responded to Greek efforts to exclude Türkiye from European Union defense projects, stating such attempts are "bound to fail" and calling them neither well-intentioned nor wise.
Defense Ministry Press and Public Relations Advisor and Ministry Spokesperson Rear Admiral Zeki Akturk addressed the issues during the ministry's weekly press briefing in Ankara.
Turkish Defense Ministry sources provided the following assessment regarding the Greek Foreign Ministry's efforts to exclude Türkiye from E.U. defense projects: "Efforts aimed at ignoring Türkiye's critical role in its region and its importance for Europe's security are bound to fail. Bringing bilateral disputes to multilateral platforms and adopting an attitude aimed at excluding our country is neither well-intentioned nor a wise step."
The ministry emphasized Türkiye's integral role in European security architecture, stating: "As a NATO and OSCE member and E.U. candidate country, Türkiye is an inseparable part of the European security architecture with its developing defense industry, important roles in resolving regional crises, and strong army."
Defense Ministry sources reaffirmed that E.U. membership remains a strategic goal for Türkiye, noting shared long-term strategic interests.
"We will continue to explain Türkiye's strength to those who do not understand it. On the other hand, E.U. membership continues to be a strategic goal for our country. Türkiye and the E.U. share long-term strategic interests in many areas such as defense and security, fight against terrorism, and prevention of irregular migration."
The ministry called for a visionary approach to European security, stating: "We believe that European security can only be strengthened through inclusiveness, strategic foresight, and collective solidarity, and that a visionary approach is needed for this."
Turkish Defense Ministry sources also responded to Greek authorities' statements regarding so-called Pontic claims made on May 19.
"No matter how hard those who aim to tarnish our glorious history with baseless claims and cast a shadow on our nation's national struggle try, history and truth cannot be changed," the sources stated.
The ministry criticized historical distortions, saying: "The brutality of the massacres carried out by those who distort historical facts and put forward a genocide lie continues to remain in social memory today. Those who try to show us as perpetrators of crimes that did not happen should give up this futile effort and first show the courage to face the dirty pages of their own history."
Defense Ministry sources addressed claims that the Immediate Response 25 exercise, part of Defender Europe, was conducted against Türkiye and that the country was not invited for this reason.
"We have been making statements about this exercise every year since 2020. We have explained this many times. This exercise has a website. If you go there, you can see what kind of exercise this is, for what purpose it is conducted, and where it is conducted."
The ministry dismissed media claims about the exercise as false, stating: "All the claims in the press regarding the exercise are lies and false. If one wonders about the U.S. and NATO's perspective on our country, it would be beneficial to look at the recent statements of both the U.S. President and NATO Secretary General about our country."
The Defense Ministry highlighted recent positive statements from US and NATO leadership regarding Türkiye's importance.
"While what Türkiye means for the U.S. and NATO has been emphasized repeatedly by the most authorized people, saying that this exercise targets Türkiye is nothing more than a forced interpretation," the sources concluded.
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