When the EU defense ministers decided on May 6th to open the "Mobility" project to non-EU NATO countries in the EU defense initiative of a "Permanent Structured Cooperation" (Pesco), Turkey was not on their wish list .

However, Canada, Norway and the United States had shown interest in participating in the project to improve the transport of troops and materials in Europe.

Rainer Hermann

Editor in politics.

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    The defense ministers therefore commissioned the Netherlands, which is coordinating the project, to invite these three countries as the first non-EU participants.

    24 EU countries are already working on the project.

    Mobility is one of 46 Pesco projects aimed at advancing the EU's common security and defense policy.

    Ankara seeks political support

    Last weekend it became known that the Turkish government had also sent a letter to the Dutch government asking for membership in this billion-dollar project on military mobility in Europe.

    The NATO member Turkey is apparently using this request as a test balloon as to whether the EU wants to cooperate with Ankara on defense and security policy.

    So far, Turkey had only referred abstractly to the importance of the country for European security, for example because of the border with Syria, and demanded recognition for it.

    Ankara thus claims security policy relevance for Europe.

    However, the Turkish approach is not always in line with EU policy, for example when Ankara does not withdraw its soldiers from Libya.

    In the Pesco request, however, the fact that the pressure on the Syrian rebel province of Idlib is growing and that Turkey fears that it will not be able to hold it with its army alone is likely to play a role.

    Therefore, Ankara seeks political support in the United States and in the EU.

    More than just participating in one project

    With its advance at Pesco, Turkey now wants to be specifically involved in an EU military project. Ankara wants to express its interest in security cooperation with the EU and its member states and make it clear that it can make a concrete contribution to European security.

    In expert circles it is also undisputed that Turkey can make a substantial material contribution to the military mobility project. Turkey is concerned with more than just participating in one project. However, it is far from certain that this will happen. All EU member states must agree to the inclusion of a non-EU country in a Pesco project. And Greece and Cyprus are also involved in the military mobility project. For its part, Turkey, which does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, is blocking the participation of Cyprus, which is not part of NATO, in EU-NATO meetings.

    Because of the Cyprus question, no security agreement has yet been concluded between the EU and NATO, not even between the EU and Turkey. However, practical solutions are still being sought. The decisive factor is whether there is any political will for such solutions. It is therefore not enough for Turkey to be able to make a material contribution to the project. In expert circles, however, it is not ruled out that Turkey's cooperation with Pesco could lead to improved cooperation between the EU and NATO and better relations between Turkey and Cyprus or Greece.