Donald Trump has arrived in Ankara for a major Nato summit, along with a host of other world leaders. But the man taking the shortest journey is the one hoping to walk away with the most.
Security is expected to be tight in the Turkish capital, with thousands of police and soldiers guarding the summit being held at President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s vast Cumhurbaskanligi Saray palace. Stray dogs and would-be protesters have already been rounded up and meetings planned out meticulously.
According to the summit’s advance declaration, allied countries are making progress towards a 5 per cent of GDP spending target and will give Ukraine €70bn (£60bn) this year, and a similar sum in 2027. There will also be a reaffirmation of Article 5, under which Nato members come to each other’s aid if one is attacked.
Boosting European defence to cover any US drawdowns from the region is another major goal, and one country is hoping to score big, as well as from the changed landscape since the US-Israeli war with Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which so much of the world’s oil once flowed.
For Erdogan, the summit offers the opportunity to rapidly grow Turkey’s defence industry and stake his claim to a much larger role in the region, including peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. The Turkish strongman will be rubbing his hands with glee at what is to come.
Turkey’s route to success will be lined with products from its booming arms industry, including 155mm artillery shells, Baykar drones, tanks, a new stealth fighter and various naval vessels, including a new corvette, one of which was recently bought by Black Sea ally Romania.
A few years ago, Turkey was seen as a concerning member of Nato, having refused to join in sanctioning Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Erdogan has previously referred to Vladimir Putin as a “dear friend”.
But the country is increasingly keen to insert its $10bn arms export industry deeper into Europe’s plans for more homegrown defence production.
Boosting European defence will involve massive spending, including around technology like drones, satellite surveillance, aerial assets and far more besides. Turkey isn’t alone in eyeing this money, but it is well-positioned to take advantage of it. The country’s large military is also seen as critical for Nato’s long-term future.
A Turkish drone at an arms fair in Istanbul in May. Turkey is keen to insert its $10bn arms export industry deeper into Europe’s plans for more homegrown defence production (Photo: Adem Kutucu/Getty)For Turkey and its president, there is also keen interest in leveraging their strategic geographical position beyond being seen as the guardian of Nato’s south-eastern flank.
The Iran war has highlighted major global issues with oil supplies and exports. Ceyhan, on Turkey’s eastern Mediterranean coast, is a key terminal not just for oil from Iraqi Kurdistan but for the trade route that links China via Kazakhstan, Georgia and Azerbaijan. This route has fewer problems than the northern route through Russia, and none of the challenges of the Strait of Hormuz.
A combination of road, rail and roll on/off ferries over the Caspian Sea, with major ports like Aktau and Baku upgraded courtesy of the Chinese, has been augmented by oil and gas pipelines. It is looking increasingly enticing for European countries desperate to secure their energy needs.
Trade volumes along this route are growing at around 60 per cent a year.
Another – undeclared – aim of this week’s summit will be to stop Trump from walking out or berating the likes of Keir Starmer for not adequately supporting his war against Iran.
Trump, who has had scathing comments about Nato in the past, has explicitly said he is going to Ankara only as a mark of respect for his 72-year-old host.
Donald Trump – no fan of Nato – has said he is in Ankara only because of his personal friendship with the Turkish leader (Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)Turkey has good relations with the US and Russia, though the former was strained when Erdogan bought Russian S-400 missiles and the US cut it out of the F-35 fighter programme. The Russian missiles are still in their packing cases, and the paid-for F-35s are in US depots.
This week, the US is expected to announce the sale to Turkey of $700m (£523m) worth of General Electric F110 jet engines for its Kaan stealth fighters, while also readmitting it to the F-35 programme.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s diplomats, in particular its foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, have played a quiet but notable role in the US ceasefire with Iran and in trying to bring the Russia-Ukraine conflict to an end. The country also has a friend in Ahmed al-Sharaa, the new president of Syria.
Some Israeli hawks regard Turkey as the next target on their list, despite Turkey’s long-time membership of Nato. They would do well to remember that it possesses the second largest military force in Nato, with nearly half a million active personnel.
Erdogan will likely care little about this, as he focuses on more important and immediate relationships, and what can be gained from the summit being held in his own palace complex.
Some will see this week’s gathering as mostly about “managing” Trump, but for many in Europe it is about preparing for the day when Russia might attack, or the US might leave them in the lurch. For Turkey, it as an incredible opportunity to remind everyone about its defence industry and strategic location.
In many ways, Erdogan will be the clear winner – and was so even before the summit got under way.
Michael Burleigh is a senior fellow at LSE Ideas.
Hence then, the article about this european country will be the big winner this week thanks to a key oil route was published today ( ) and is available on inews ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( This European country will be the big winner this week – thanks to a key oil route )
Also on site :