A close aide to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz underlined his country's ambition to strengthen relations with Türkiye. Jurgen Hardt, a senior lawmaker from Merz' party CDU/CSU, told Anadolu Agency (AA) on Sunday that they would support Türkiye's inclusion in the EU's security and defense structures.
"It's not possible to think about European foreign and security policy without having in mind the NATO partners. Especially, you cannot make Europe secure without the U.K., without Norway, without Türkiye,” Hardt said.
He said Merz's recent visit to Ankara was successful and will strengthen cooperation between the EU and Türkiye in the coming months across various fields, including security and defense.
"We have ideas and concepts on how to integrate non-EU member states into the European security and defense structures, not only in NATO, but also in EU structures. What is possible with the United Kingdom, in principle, should also be possible with Türkiye," he said.
Hardt, who serves as foreign affairs spokesperson for the Christian Democrats' parliamentary group, or the CDU/CSU, expres
Continue Reading on Daily Sabah
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.