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Zafer Sirakaya, deputy chairman of Turkey\u2019s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in charge of international relations, explains to Kathimerini the important role he believes his country has in the new political landscape formed after Donald Trump\u2019s re-election as US president.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sirakaya belongs to the close circle of associates of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and is a member of parliament for Istanbul, while he is considered an expert in relations with Europe. He was born in Germany, and continued his studies at Turkey\u2019s Bilkent University, in the Department of Political Science and Public Administration. He completed his MBA at the University of Wales in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurkey arouses interest with its geostrategic position in a fragile and complex geopolitical environment and in an atmosphere where the global balance of power is being reshaped. Our country pursues a multifaceted foreign policy in parallel with the multipolar world order, which is becoming increasingly evident,\u201d he tells Kathimerini.<\/p>\n
He cites the mediating role that Turkey took on after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine for the meeting of the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in 2022, as well as the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2022 and the prisoner exchange in August 2024. \u201cEspecially with the re-election of Trump as president in the US, the extent to which a peace in Ukraine will become possible is an issue that we are following very closely, as it cannot be \u2018read\u2019 independently of Turkey. The fact that Istanbul was recently chosen for the second round of talks between US and Russian delegations aimed at normalizing bilateral relations and ending the conflict in Ukraine is a very important development in this regard,\u201d the AKP deputy chairman says.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the changing world order, Turkey is a country that can maintain open channels of dialogue both with its allies in the European security architecture and with its partners in Eurasia,\u201d Sirakaya says, adding that his country can create the basis for dialogue with all actors and demonstrate an impartial approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe only way to ensure the sustainability of a possible peace between the parties is for our country to play a leading role as a strategic balancing force, since it has the second largest army in the NATO alliance and strategic depth in its southeastern side, while it is also the bridgehead of Eurasian geography due to its geographical location,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n
According to information, Ankara\u2019s desire is to join the European defense system, with two main, immediate goals: The first is participation in the European Defense Industry Program (EDIP), which aims to encourage EU countries to produce and purchase weapons together. According to Turkish press reports, France, which initially wanted third countries to be excluded from this initiative, seems to have been reversing its position in recent months. According to the Hurriyet newspaper, although Turkey\u2019s high production capacity and the adoption of an innovative approach are considered important advantages, it is not clear whether its participation in the project will be approved.<\/p>\n
Another one of Ankara\u2019s expectations is that its 2021 application to participate in the EU\u2019s military mobility scheme and which some liken to a \u201cMilitary Schengen,\u201d will be accepted. \u201cMilitary Mobility,\u201d which is coordinated by the Netherlands, ensures the transfer of military elements from one country to another without raising bureaucratic obstacles.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n