President Erdoğan emphasizes Turkey's key role in Europe's security.

Following the warning from the White House that Europe needs to ensure its own security, President Erdoğan stated that Europe's security cannot be conceived without Turkey.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan emphasized that Turkey plays a key role in Europe's security and highlighted that Turkey is a point of stability in a period marked by increasing global crises. In his speech at the official opening of the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, Erdoğan said that Turkey could overcome the geopolitical divisions related to Ukraine, Syria, and the recent wave of tariffs imposed by the United States that have led to a global trade war. Erdoğan remarked, "It has once again become clear that Europe's security cannot be imagined without Turkey. Turkey is ready to take responsibility for Europe's security in the future."

As transatlantic relations have increasingly strained under the Trump administration, Turkey, a NATO member with the second-largest army in the alliance and a developed defense industry, is seeking a broader role. The White House has warned that Europe, including Ukraine, needs to pay attention to its own security and has so far shown little willingness to support a significant European force in Ukraine against Russian aggression. Turkey has played a key mediating role in the Black Sea region by maintaining its relations with both Ukraine and Russia.

In his remarks to an audience of world leaders and diplomats, President Erdoğan stated, "I believe that during President Trump's second term, and with the contribution of our close friendship, our relations with the U.S. will develop in every area." Referring to Trump's tariffs, Erdoğan noted that a positive outcome could be achieved for Turkey, which is included in the 10% minimum tariff category. Erdoğan added, "We are doing our best to ensure that the escalating trade competition through tariffs does not become destructive. Turkey will be one of the winners of this process."

Turkey is also an influential actor in neighboring Syria. However, the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria has further strained the already tense relations between Turkey and Israel, pushing conflicting interests toward a potential collision course. When Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington last month, he advised him to be "reasonable" in his relations with Ankara. At the forum in Antalya, Erdoğan stated, "We are in understanding and close dialogue with influential actors in the region, particularly Trump and Putin, regarding the preservation of Syria's territorial integrity." Ahmed Hussein al-Shara, the transitional president in Syria, was also among the participants at the Antalya forum.

Erdoğan warned, "No one should misunderstand our calmness and our attitude of resolving issues through dialogue." Criticizing Israel's military operations in Gaza in strong terms, Erdoğan also mentioned the killing of civilians in the region. "Does a legitimate state act this way, even if it is at war? Isn't this called state terrorism? This is why Israel is a terrorist state," he said.