Turkey is “pulling out all the stops” in an effort to capitalize on the current circumstances surrounding today’s and tomorrow’s NATO Summit in Ankara, attended by U.S. President Donald Trump, in order to secure the removal of obstacles to the full normalization of U.S.-Turkish relations and, at the same time, guarantee its unconditional participation in the major European defence initiative.

Recent reports in the past hours — both regarding Donald Trump’s intention to renew commitments for Turkey’s return to the F-35 programme and France’s reported willingness to unblock the sale of the French-Italian-made SAMP/T missile system to Turkey — have encouraged not only the Turkish media but also senior figures within the Turkish government.

The U.S. president arrives in Ankara, where at midday (15:15 Greek time) he will meet with Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Beştepe presidential complex, having already taken care to send positive signals before his arrival.

Trump stated shortly before his departure that the only reason he is attending the summit is because Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hosting it. Just days earlier, he also promoted the agreement for the sale of 80 F110 engines, which are necessary for advancing the most ambitious project of Turkey’s defence industry: the construction of the Turkish fifth-generation fighter jet KAAN.

According to a report published today by The New York Times, Donald Trump is expected to send another positive message to Ankara regarding his intention to find a way for Turkey to return to the F-35 programme, despite the sanctions imposed under the CAATSA legislation following Turkey’s purchase and possession of Russian S-400 missile systems.

However, since U.S. legislation and Congress remain obstacles that cannot be bypassed, Trump’s expected statement may satisfy Ankara politically and diplomatically, but it is unlikely to have immediate practical consequences.

Reports from several international media outlets regarding a possible French change of position on the SAMP/T system are nevertheless particularly significant. If the sale of the system to Turkey is confirmed, it could potentially eliminate the need for Turkey to retain the S-400s in its arsenal.

Such a move could pave the way for lifting U.S. sanctions and allowing Turkey’s return to the F-35 programme.

Of course, Donald Trump would have to overcome not only opposition from Greek and Armenian lobbying groups in the United States, but above all resistance from Israel, which — through a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself — warned that Turkey acquiring F-35s would constitute a security threat and could upset the balance of power across the region.

Speaking at a forum earlier in the morning, shortly before the start of the NATO Summit, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said, among other things:

“A stronger European contribution is necessary, but restrictions on defence industry cooperation undermine efficiency and delay responses. These restrictions have turned into strategic burdens. European defence initiatives must remain fully inclusive for all NATO allies.”

At a parallel forum, Turkey’s Defence Minister Yaşar Güler also stressed that:

“Excluding Turkey, a leading member of the international security architecture thanks to its military strength, defence industry and geographical position, does not make Europe safer.”

Turkey’s European Defence Ambition

For Turkey, the other major objective is to use the NATO Summit — where a parallel event showcasing the achievements of the Turkish defence industry is also taking place — as an opportunity to open the door for its institutional participation, without conditions or restrictions, in the European defence initiative and Europe’s rearmament efforts.

This is important not only because it would provide a significant source of funding for the Turkish defence industry, but also for political reasons, as Ankara hopes it could create the framework for a special relationship with the European Union.

Such a relationship would see Turkey, without fully aligning itself with the EU’s strategic objectives, operate as a provider of security and defence equipment. In return, Ankara hopes to obtain from Brussels what it has so far failed to achieve, due both to political disputes in its relations with the Union and to Turkey’s casus belli against Greece and the continued occupation of Cyprus.

Among Turkey’s objectives are:

• the modernization of the EU–Turkey Customs Union,
• the abolition of visa requirements for Turkish citizens, and
• Turkey’s inclusion in the European payments system SEPA (Single Euro Payments Area).