{"id":2664,"date":"2026-07-08T10:33:06","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T10:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/2664\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T10:33:06","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T10:33:06","slug":"erdogan-urges-nato-allies-to-lift-defence-industry-restrictions-at-summit-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/defence\/2664\/","title":{"rendered":"Erdogan Urges NATO Allies to Lift Defence Industry Restrictions at Summit"},"content":{"rendered":"

ANKARA, July 8 (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip \u2060Erdogan \u2060said on Wednesday \u2060that NATO allies must lift defence-industry restrictions among \u200bthem, pressing the case for Ankara to break into some \u200cEurope-only initiatives.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Restrictions among allies on \u200cdefence cooperation, especially in the defence industry, must \u2060be lifted,” \u2060Erdogan told the opening of a summit of NATO \u200bleaders in Ankara.<\/p>\n

“At a time when a model of cooperation based on common sense and reason is possible, excluding allies that \u200bare not members of the (European) Union would lead to artificial \u2060divisions \u2060in Europe.”<\/p>\n

On Tuesday U.S. \u2060President \u200bDonald Trump, sitting alongside Erdogan, said he would lift sanctions off \u200bTurkey and make \u2060a decision on a potential sale of F-35s to it. Both decisions are likely to face resistance from Congress.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Turkey has NATO’s second-largest army and has emerged as a \u2060big developer and exporter of arms. Though Ankara has repeatedly said \u2060it wants to join European security initiatives like the SAFE funding scheme, so far it has been kept at arm’s length due to political and policy differences.<\/p>\n

Erdogan said\u00a0Turkey was on track to reach NATO’s 5% defence spending target by the country’s 2030 goal, and that it has allocated a $24-billion additional budget for \u2060its “Steel Dome” air defence project to boost NATO’s air and missile defences.<\/p>\n

He added that allies must take more responsibility in bloc defence without hindering alliance unity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

(Reporting by \u200bTuvan Gumrukcu and Huseyin Hayatsever; Writing by Daren \u200bButler; Editing by Ece Toksabay)<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 Thomson Reuters.<\/p>\n

Photos You Should See \u2013 June 2026<\/p>\n

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