Pesco military alliance: rapprochement with a vengeance - Erdogan wants to participate in EU defense policy

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Ankara has been pushing the rapprochement with the European Union that has been sought for several months with all its might: According to information from WELT AM SONNTAG, the NATO country Turkey intends to participate in EU security and defense policy in the future.

Accordingly, Ankara is offering to formally participate in a billion-dollar project within the framework of the EU defense initiative "Permanent Structured Cooperation" (Pesco), which aims to improve the transport of troops and materials in Europe.

A corresponding written request from the Turkish government was received by the Ministry of Defense in the Netherlands just over a week ago.

"Erdogan's plans a great success"

The government in The Hague is coordinating the project to improve military mobility, in which a total of 24 EU countries are working.

Just ten days ago, at their meeting in Brussels, the EU defense ministers decided that the USA, Canada and Norway would be the first third countries to participate in the Pesco project to improve military transports within Europe.

It is now eagerly awaited how the EU states Cyprus and Greece - both countries have extremely tense relations with Turkey - will react to the request from Ankara.

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"We hope that a possible cooperation of Turkey in Pesco not only improves the cooperation between the EU and NATO, but can also lead to a normalization of the relations between Turkey and Cyprus or Greece," said diplomatic circles. The most important reasons given in EU circles for the application from Ankara are the recently decided participation of the Americans in EU defense policy and the planned improved cooperation between the EU and Turkey.

At their summit at the end of March, the EU heads of government had promised Turkey improved economic relations, visa exemption and new billions in aid to support the around 3.5 million refugees in the Bosporus state. The topic should be on the agenda again at the EU summit in June. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is pushing for quick decisions. He knows that after his most important ally in the EU, Chancellor Angela Merkel, has withdrawn in the autumn, an agreement on concrete results will be much more difficult.

For Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) Erdogan's plans are a great success. Last autumn, during the German EU Council Presidency, Kramp-Karrenbauer managed to get France to give up its years of opposition to the participation of third countries in European defense policy. That cleared the way. The improvement of military mobility in Europe is one of a total of 46 Pesco projects at the moment. The aim of the measures is to make the EU more capable of acting in security and defense policy.

Germany coordinates six Pesco projects. The project coordinated by the Netherlands to improve military mobility is one of the most important measures, according to the EU and NATO. Should it actually succeed in the future to improve the transport of troops and material within Europe by investing billions in bridges, roads and rail traffic and by reducing bureaucracy between states, this would significantly increase the operational readiness and defense capability of the West.