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Defense Minister Yasar Guler on Thursday said Türkiye can contribute even more to Europe's security and defense with its strong military capabilities and defense industry.
The minister also said that many European partners are already aware of that, as he used a conference in Ankara to underline Türkiye's weight inside NATO and call for a broader European security approach.
Speaking at the conference "NATO's Ankara Time: Strategic Positioning for a Resilient Alliance," organized in cooperation with the Directorate of Communications and the Foundation for Political, Economic, and Social Research (SETA), Guler said the European Union should abandon security approaches that exclude non-EU NATO allies, especially Türkiye, and return to a position that supports NATO.
"The truth is that Türkiye, with its strong defense capabilities and industry, can contribute even more to Europe's security and defense," Guler said. "We know that many of our European friends are aware of this, and we think the others will also analyze this very well and adopt a reasonable approach."
Guler said Ankara expects the NATO summit in 2026 to reaffirm allies' commitment to Article 5, show where allies stand on defense spending pledges and military capability goals, and identify areas of cooperation that will strengthen defense production capacity and a sustainable defense industry ecosystem.
He said Türkiye also hopes the European Union will stop pursuing security approaches that exclude NATO allies that are not EU members, especially Türkiye.
Otherwise, he said, the European Union's current approach would harm Europe's security and resilience more than a reduction of U.S. forces in Europe.
Guler said Türkiye's military and diplomatic strength, together with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's effective and reliable leadership, would stand out at the 2026 NATO Ankara Summit.
He said the aim at that summit would be to emphasize NATO's unity and solidarity and the alliance's determination to protect the Euro-Atlantic region against today's threats and challenges.
Guler said NATO's continuity is of great importance for the security of both Türkiye and the Euro-Atlantic region at a time when global power competition and related conflicts are likely to increase further.
He said Türkiye defends an approach that reduces tension rather than increases it and manages conflict rather than deepens it. He also said that despite the ring of fire around it, Türkiye continues to be an island of stability and a center of security while making intense efforts to end conflicts through diplomacy.
That emphasis has been echoed in recent European messaging. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said after talks with Guler in Berlin that Germany values Türkiye as an important ally, making an essential contribution to European security and said the Turkish armed forces contribute significantly to securing NATO's southern flank.
Germany's ambassador to Türkiye, Sibylle Katharina Sorg, also said Türkiye has long been working for peace in Ukraine and plays a decisive role in European security, adding that Türkiye must have a place at the table when a new security framework for Europe is discussed.
She said Europe's security architecture has been shattered since Russia attacked Ukraine and can only be rebuilt together.
President Erdogan has also called on European countries to remove what he described as ideological barriers and integrate Türkiye into Europe's defense and security mechanisms, saying any architecture that excludes Ankara would be insufficient.
Guler said Türkiye has continuously undertaken the command of NATO naval operations and missions in the Mediterranean and Aegean during different periods.
He also said Türkiye will assume NATO air policing duties in Estonia this year and then in Romania.
With all these activities and contributions, Guler said, Türkiye has once again shown that it is one of the leading countries shaping NATO's security architecture, not only in the field but also through its commanders and штаб officers serving in NATO's planning and decision-making mechanisms with a high sense of professionalism and responsibility.
He said the level reached in military and operational contributions naturally makes Türkiye's diplomatic and strategic weight more visible within NATO.
Guler also said the future NATO summit in Ankara should serve as a platform where allies approve defense and deterrence readiness and present concrete progress on spending, capabilities and industrial cooperation.
The wider debate over Europe's security role and burden-sharing has also intensified after recent remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Trump publicly criticized allied countries for declining to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and said the United States would remember which countries refused to contribute even basic naval assets to reopening the critical waterway.
He said some countries hosting tens of thousands of American troops told Washington they would rather not get involved.
In separate remarks published Wednesday, Trump said he was strongly considering pulling the United States out of NATO after allied nations refused to support the American-Israeli war on Iran and called the alliance a "paper tiger."
Those statements sharpened the broader discussion about Europe's security responsibilities and the place of countries such as Türkiye in future defense planning.
Guler said Türkiye's basic principles are protecting its survival, respect for sovereign rights, commitment to international law, and ensuring allied security.
He said Türkiye's critical role within NATO and its independent decision-making capacity rest on a balanced and principled strategic understanding that allows it to carry out alliance responsibilities while protecting national interests.
He said Türkiye has a concept that makes it possible both to safeguard national interests and to fulfill collective defense obligations strongly.
"Türkiye is determined to continue contributing significantly to the shared vision within NATO's long-term security, which also includes its own security," Guler said.
He added that Türkiye will continue working in an integrated way with its allies against every kind of threat and will remain a reliable partner of NATO, an effective contributor and a strategic balance factor, while actively contributing to the alliance's transformation process.
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