[Erdogan: Strengthening European Defense Must Not Compromise NATO's Integrity]
On July 8, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated at the beginning of the NATO summit working session held in Ankara that defense initiatives implemented by NATO allies on the European continent must not lead to the erosion of the entire alliance's integrity.
"While our European allies take on greater responsibility for continental defense, we must avoid measures that could weaken the alliance’s integrity and transatlantic relations. I would like to address fellow allies who are also members of the EU. We can only gain maximum benefit from the EU’s defense efforts by avoiding unnecessary duplication with NATO," Erdogan pointed out.
"It is possible to establish a rational and logical cooperation model in this domain," he added. "However, excluding non-EU member states from European defense initiatives will result in the wastage of already limited resources and create divisions in Europe that we do not wish to see. This is clearly detrimental to transatlantic defense industries as well. All restrictions on defense industry cooperation among NATO allies must be fully eliminated," concluded the Turkish leader.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1870189582363850/
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