Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in an interview aired Sunday that European Union membership was no longer a priority for Ankara, signaling a retreat from a goal that shaped the early years of his government and that he called strategic as recently as 2024.
“Europe has not admitted Turkey for 53 years and does not appear to be considering doing so in the period ahead, but we have not closed our door,” Erdoğan told Al Jazeera Arabic. “We still think about joining the European Union. If they admit us, fine. If they do not, fine. The European Union is not our priority.”
Erdoğan maintained that the EU, rather than Turkey, would lose if the country were denied membership, according to the interview.
The statement contrasts with Erdoğan’s previous position. He described full EU membership as Turkey’s “strategic goal” during a meeting with Estonian President Alar Karis in June 2024.
Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which came to power in 2002, initially put EU membership at the center of its political program and enacted reforms that helped Turkey begin accession negotiations in 2005.
Turkey established an association with the European Economic Community, the EU’s predecessor, in 1963 and applied for full membership in 1987. It received candidate status in 1999.
The accession talks have remained at a standstill since 2018. The European Commission cited the deterioration of democratic standards, judicial independence, the rule of law and fundamental rights in its 2025 report on Turkey.
Erdoğan also warned that Turkey would not avoid a war if it came under attack, responding to a question about statements from Israeli politicians and media outlets.
“If there are those who attack Turkey for war rather than peace, Turkey will neither shy away from nor flee from this war,” Erdoğan said, adding that Ankara did not want such a confrontation.
He maintained that Hamas had fulfilled its obligations in efforts to advance a ceasefire in Gaza while Israel continued its attacks on Gaza and Lebanon. The United States and the EU designate Hamas as a terrorist organization, while Turkey does not.
Erdoğan also described the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on August 7 as comparable to NATO’s collective defense provision. He said the three countries would defend one another if any member came under attack and that Egypt could join the pact.
Turning to relations with Washington, Erdoğan said he expected US President Donald Trump to fulfill a promise concerning the delivery of F-35 fighter jets.
Turkey was removed from the F-35 program in 2019 after purchasing Russia’s S-400 air defense system. US law continues to block the transfer while Turkey retains the Russian system, the State Department told Congress in July.
This article is republished from Turkish Minute.
