Türkiye and the EU: Stronger Together

Ambassador Aivo Orav*

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. Finally, terrorism and armed non-state groups such as ISIS remain a persistent threat to Türkiye’s internal security, border stability, and regional military posture, especially through spillover from Syria and Iraq.

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 our partners. We support international peace and security through diplomacy, crisis management, capacity and resilience building as well as practical cooperation in areas such as cyber, maritime security or counterterrorism. Our partnerships are underpinned by the UN Charter and respect for the rules-based international order. A capable EU is a more reliable partner when it can turn shared priorities into action.

That is already visible in our work with Türkiye. Two notable examples of Türkiye–EU security and defence cooperation are Operation EUFOR Althea and the finalisation in November 2025 of reciprocal military adviser postings. Within EUFOR Althea, the European Union directs the CSDP military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the objective of preserving a safe and secure environment, while Türkiye, as a partner country, provides personnel and military support; this cooperation has produced the tangible result of helping sustain stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina while also reinforcing practical defence links between Türkiye and the EU. Similarly, the November 2025 arrangement on reciprocal military adviser postings, through which the EU assigned a military adviser to its delegation in Ankara and Türkiye posted a military adviser to its mission in Brussels, has created a permanent institutional mechanism for more regular military dialogue, improved coordination, and deeper mutual confidence in security and defence relations.

This cooperation works best when it addresses needs identified together and delivers benefits that people can recognise.

Partnership also means listening. Türkiye’s complex security environment shows the European Union that security in a contested neighbourhood requires not only military strength, but also diplomatic agility, regional coalition-building, and the capacity to manage several crises at once. A key feature of Ankara’s approach is its ability to build limited but functional coalitions through dialogue with regional actors, even in polarised settings, to contain tensions and support stability.

This experience is especially relevant because Türkiye operates at the intersection of the Black Sea, the Middle East, the Caucasus, and wider Euro-Atlantic security dynamics. It faces terrorism, instability radiating from Syria, Iraq, Iran and the broader region, energy and trade disruptions, migration pressures, and the consequences of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Ankara has generally treated these not as isolated crises, but as interconnected elements of a layered security environment in which military, economic, and political risks reinforce one another. For the EU, this highlights the need for a more integrated understanding of neighbourhood security, where internal and external challenges are closely linked.

The Black Sea offers the clearest example of what the EU can learn from Türkiye. By implementing the Montreux Convention, Ankara restricted the passage of warships through the Turkish Straits, helping to limit escalation and demonstrating the strategic value of using established legal frameworks decisively. At the same time, Türkiye joined Romania and Bulgaria in the Black Sea Mine Countermeasures Task Group, a practical regional initiative designed to address the threat posed by drifting naval mines generated by the war. This shows how focused cooperation among directly affected regional actors can produce tangible stabilising effects.

We want to hear where Türkiye sees the greatest risks, what has worked in practice and where we can do more together. A durable network for security cooperation and stability depends on that two-way exchange.

On Nov. 17-18, the third edition of the Schuman Security and Defence Forum will bring the EU, its Member States, key partner countries and international organisations, as well as leading think tanks together in Brussels. It will be another important opportunity to listen to one another, address shared threats and strengthen a network of cooperation for peace and security.

This conversation will begin well beyond Brussels. Through the “Road to Schuman” events, regional discussions are bringing partners’ perspectives into the Schuman Forum. These exchanges can help identify practical areas for further cooperation, from crisis management and training to cyber and maritime security, according to mutually beneficial priorities.

For the EU, the task is clear: further bolster our cooperation on peace, security and defence with our key partners, for the benefit of our respective citizens.