EU wants Turkey to be part of SAFE

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is seen successful a September 30, 2025, record photo. [AP]

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who is visiting Greece connected Monday, is expected to renew unit connected the authorities to driblet its objections regarding Turkey’s information successful the European Union’s €150 cardinal Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme designed to boost concern successful defence industries.

The ratcheting up of unit is besides owed to the information that the deadline (November 30) for countries wishing to person loans done SAFE is approaching.

A fewer days ago, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met connected the sidelines of the European Political Community (EPC) Summit successful Copenhagen with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, arsenic well arsenic NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who had requested the gathering with the cardinal contented connected the docket being the unblocking of Turkey’s information successful SAFE.

Mitsotakis repeated Greece’s points, that Turkey cannot articulation SAFE unless it drops its menace of war if Greece were to widen its territorial waters successful the Aegean and its theory of the “gray zones,” connected the ground of which Ankara disputes Greek sovereignty implicit islands and islets successful the Aegean.

But, among EU members, lone Cyprus and France stock Greece’s objections, adjacent though galore understand Greece’s stance.

Practically each the different EU countries support practice with Turkey, arsenic they see the state with the 2nd largest service successful NATO and a flourishing defence manufacture to beryllium a utile spouse for Europe.

The assessments of rather a fewer Europeans – chiefly Easterners – that Turkey’s stance connected Ukraine and its bully practice with Russia could beryllium ambivalent person been conveyed to Athens successful various ways, but they judge that astatine this stage, Europe needs some the concern capabilities of the Turks and their willingness to get progressive successful progressive operations if required.

Also, Greece’s reluctance to supply its aging Mirage 2000-5 fighters to different EU countries so that they, successful turn, tin supply Ukraine with these oregon different planes does not sit well with Eastern Europeans and different EU members.

Scandinavian countries are besides affirmative astir Turkey and SAFE, adjacent though two (Finland, and, especially, Sweden) precocious became the target of Turkish obstructionism when they applied to articulation NATO.