President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday joined European leaders for the European Political Community Summit in Budapest to discuss international security and migration, as well as challenges posed by Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Erdoğan was expected to address a session of the summit in the Hungarian capital, which brought together EU leaders, as well as the United Kingdom, NATO chief Mark Rutte and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On the agenda: Europe's security challenges, chief among them the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, as well as the war in Gaza and rising tensions in the Middle East, migration, global trade and economic security, issues all thrown into sharp relief by the prospect of a disruptive second Trump presidency.
Erdoğan and European leaders have broadly congratulated Trump but face uncertainty over U.S. backing for Ukraine against Russia's invasion, the U.S. commitment to the NATO military alliance and the prospect of tariffs on their exports to the United States.
Adding to the uncertainty hanging over the Budapest gatherings, Germany's three-party government broke apart on Wednesday evening as Chancellor Olaf Scholz sacked his finance minister and paved the way for a general election.
Some officials are also nervous about the summit plans of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has been criticized by EU peers over his trips to Moscow and Georgia, seen as increasingly pro-Russian, during his country's EU presidency. Orban is a Trump ally who enthusiastically cheered his re-election on Wednesday.
Analysts said the chances of a united European message toward the U.S. look ever slimmer, but a senior EU diplomat told Anadolu Agency (AA) that “The bloc is prepared for every scenario and has the strength to give a common message. "
EU officials hope the outcome of the EU leaders' dinner session will be a joint position of congratulating Trump and highlighting the importance of good U.S.-EU ties while stressing that the EU has its own agenda and desire to stick to global trading rules.
Leaders could return to the topic for a more substantial discussion when they convene in Brussels in December, another senior EU official said.
Erdoğan, who has cultivated a cordial relationship with Trump in stark contrast to the distant ties with the Biden administration, was scheduled to deliver a speech, likely broaching topics like Ukraine, Israel’s war on Gaza, counterterrorism and Türkiye’s long-stalled accession to the EU.
The Turkish president skipped last year’s summit in Spain after Ankara’s major ally Azerbaijan’s stipulation that Erdoğan attend alongside EU Council chief Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was rejected.
But Türkiye returned to the European fold over the summer, with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attending the informal meeting of European foreign ministers after five years to open dialogue channels.
Türkiye has been an official EU candidate since 1999 and launched membership talks in 2005. Yet, the process has been hindered by a series of obstacles, particularly the bloc’s differing views of the country on the continent’s southeastern tip.
The EU enthusiastically engaged in dialogue with Türkiye regarding migrants and refugees, a headache for the bloc, and signed a deal in 2016 to alleviate flow from the country. On the other hand, Türkiye’s efforts for membership were stalled by countries siding with Greece and Greek Cypriots, who, at times, openly opposed Ankara’s ambitions.
Brussels also often brings up the issue of human rights in the process despite Türkiye’s denial of poor human rights records, as cited in numerous reports presented to the bloc by rapporteurs.
Erdoğan also held bilateral meetings, including with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The pair discussed Türkiye-EU relations, as well as Israel's attacks on Gaza.
