EU defence programmes should include ‘geostrategic partner’ Türkiye: Germany

Türkiye is a long-standing and reliable NATO ally and should be included in the EU's new defence programmes, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has said.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Berlin on Friday with his Turkish counterpart, Hakan Fidan, Wadephul said they view Türkiye as an important "geostrategic partner" and would like to open a "new page" in relations.

"I firmly believe the EU's SAFE programme must be opened to Türkiye and the United Kingdom as important NATO partners," he said, referring to the EU's €150 billion ($173 billion) joint defence procurement programme to boost European defence capabilities.

"We are engaged in constructive talks on this matter. As I have already emphasised, Türkiye has always been a very reliable and stable NATO partner. As the German government, we have been seeking to take our bilateral relationship to a new level and, in particular, to strengthen the security aspect," he said.

Closer ties between NATO allies and Türkiye

In September, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also voiced support for Türkiye’s participation in the EU armament scheme SAFE.

In a meeting with EU ambassadors, Rutte said Türkiye’s application to join the SAFE programme would strengthen both European defence cooperation and NATO cohesion.

He stressed that Türkiye’s military capabilities make it an essential security actor for Europe.

SAFE, adopted by EU leaders in May, will provide competitively priced, long-term loans to accelerate urgent defence procurement.

It forms part of the European Commission's ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030, aiming to mobilise over €800 billion ($924 billion) in defence spending.

While the loans will be available only to EU member states, Ukraine and EEA-EFTA countries will also be eligible to participate in joint procurement under the scheme.