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<\/p>\nThe European Union is reportedly pushing for T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s participation in its \u20ac150 billion ($175 billion) Security Action for Europe (SAFE) defense program, with Germany expected to urge Greece to drop its objections.<\/p>\n
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is expected to urge Greece to approve Ankara’s participation during a Monday visit to Athens, Greek daily Kathimerini reported Saturday.<\/p>\n
The visit comes as the Nov. 30 deadline for countries wishing to receive loans through SAFE approaches, adding pressure on Greece to reconsider its stance on T\u00fcrkiye, a longtime candidate for EU membership.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis recently met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of a European Political Community (EPC) summit in Copenhagen.<\/p>\n
Reports say the meeting, requested by Rutte, focused on unblocking T\u00fcrkiye’s participation in SAFE.<\/p>\n
However, Mitsotakis reiterated that he would not approve T\u00fcrkiye’s involvement due to ongoing disputes in the Aegean and the casus belli dispute between Ankara and Athens.<\/p>\n
In the mid-1990s, Greece had attempted to extend its territorial waters in the Aegean Sea to 12 nautical miles but scuttled the plan after T\u00fcrkiye declared that such a move would be a casus belli, or cause for war.<\/p>\n
According to Kathimerini, nearly all other EU countries support cooperation with T\u00fcrkiye, citing the state’s position as NATO’s second-largest army and its flourishing defense industry.<\/p>\n
Only France and the Greek Cypriot Administration reportedly share Greece’s objections, while Scandinavian countries are also said to back Ankara’s participation.<\/p>\n
SAFE, adopted by EU leaders in May, is meant to provide competitively priced, long-term loans to accelerate urgent defense procurement.<\/p>\n
It forms part of the European Commission’s ReArm Europe Plan\/Readiness 2030, aiming to mobilize over \u20ac800 billion in defense spending.<\/p>\n
While the loans will be available only to EU member states, Ukraine and European Free Trade Association-European Economic Area (EEA-EFTA) countries will also be eligible to participate in joint procurement under the scheme.<\/p>\n
T\u00fcrkiye applied for EU membership in 1987 and has been a candidate country since 1999.<\/p>\n
Its membership negotiations started in 2005 but have stalled in recent years due to political hurdles erected by some countries.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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