As the United States under President Donald Trump rethinks its security guarantees to Europe, Turkiye is making the case for closer integration into the continent’s defense architecture.

Axar.az informs, citing Defense News, that speaking at a conference marking the 74th anniversary of Turkiye’s entry to NATO, Defense Minister Yashar Guler criticized the European Union’s reluctance to fully open its defense initiatives to Ankara.

Turkiye is a member of NATO but not the EU, which means two sets of rules govern — and in many cases limit — cooperation with members of the bloc.

“Turkiye is no longer a flank country on NATO’s southeastern periphery,” Guler said April 9 at a conference organized by the Presidency of Communications and the SETA Foundation. “It is a central ally capable of generating security across the entire European theater.”

Guler’s remarks, delivered ahead of the 2026 NATO Summit in Ankara this summer, offer a window into Turkiye’s proclaimed place within the alliance as well as Ankara’s assessment of a rapidly transforming international security landscape.

He announced that Turkiye will assume command of NATO’s Allied Reaction Force from 2028 to 2030.

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