President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has warned that Europe cannot build a credible security and defence framework while excluding Turkey, arguing that the time has “long” come for European security mechanisms to formally include Ankara.
Erdoğan made the remarks on Wednesday (Feb. 18, 2026) while speaking to reporters aboard his return flight from Ethiopia, where he held talks in Addis Ababa following an 11-year gap since his last visit, according to multiple Turkish and international reports.
In comments centered on Europe’s evolving defence posture, Erdoğan said Europe’s existing security and defence mechanisms should no longer keep Turkey at arm’s length. “The time has long come” for Europe to include Turkey in its defence and security structures, he said, adding that efforts to establish a new European defence architecture without Turkey would be “an insufficient effort.”
Erdoğan framed the issue as both practical and strategic, arguing that excluding Turkey ignores “world realities” and produces a defence approach disconnected from current threats. He also called on European actors to remove what he described as “ideological barriers” that, in his view, have limited deeper integration between Turkey and Europe.
His remarks came against the backdrop of NATO readiness debates and high-visibility allied exercises in northern Europe. In answering a question that referenced Turkey’s recent contributions to NATO activity—including participation in the Steadfast Dart 2026 exercise—Erdoğan described the Turkish military as one of NATO’s “largest and most effective” forces and said Turkey has the capacity to demonstrate capabilities “in the field,” not only in diplomatic forums.
The president has repeatedly argued that Turkey’s role in NATO and its geographic position on the alliance’s southeastern flank give it leverage in any broader European security equation. On Wednesday, he reiterated that message by asserting that a “realistic” European security arrangement cannot be established without Turkey’s participation.
Erdoğan’s comments were part of a wider set of in-flight remarks covering foreign policy and domestic priorities, including Turkey’s regional diplomacy in Africa and issues tied to counterterrorism and Middle East security. However, his warning about Europe’s defence planning appeared aimed at reinforcing Ankara’s push for closer institutional linkage with European security initiatives at a time when European governments are reassessing deterrence, rapid reinforcement, and defence-industrial capacity
