Türkiye and the EU: Stronger Together

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In an unsettled world, security is built with partners. Conflicts and instability worldwide, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, growing pressure on multilateralism and on the rules that protect sovereignty and peace have consequences far beyond one’s immediate neighbourhood.

Ambassador Aivo Orav is Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye.

In an unsettled world, security is built with partners. Conflicts and instability worldwide, Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, growing pressure on multilateralism and on the rules that protect sovereignty and peace have consequences far beyond one’s immediate neighbourhood. Cyberattacks, foreign information manipulation, threats to critical infrastructure and the use of economic dependencies as instruments of pressure make those consequences felt in daily life by our citizens. Security challenges cross borders; therefore, our response must connect countries and regions too.

For Türkiye, this is not an abstract debate. Türkiye faces a major national security challenge from instability in Syria, Lebanon and the wider Middle East, including the Persian Gulf and the Bab al-Mandab, because these conflicts disrupt trade routes, increase migration pressures, affect energy security, and alter the regional balance of power in ways that directly influence Türkiye’s security environment. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has also created serious security concerns for Türkiye in the Black Sea by increasing militarisation, threatening maritime trade and food supply routes, and placing Ankara in a difficult position between Russia and Ukraine.

Events in one region can disrupt trade routes, energy supplies or digital networks in another. No country or organisation can meet such challenges alone.

For the EU, it is essential to strengthen the EU’s capacity to act, reduce critical dependencies, address critical capability gaps and assume greater responsibility for our own security. At the same time, the EU’s actions remain firmly anchored in partnerships and international cooperation. In practice, this means strengthening cooperation with our partners while being prepared to respond decisively when the need arises.

In parallel, we must strengthen our own resilience as well as that of…

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