Europe’s weakening not to Türkiye’s advantage: Çavuşoğlu

ANTALYA

There are those who enjoy observing a suffering Europe due to economic and energy crisis in Türkiye but a weakening Europe is not to Türkiye’s advantage, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has said, stressing that the country should focus on the problems of the continent in these difficult days and ongoing war in Ukraine.

“Let’s not rely on the weakening of Europe. I sometimes see some comments like ‘Their economies are weakening; they are suffering from an energy crisis.’ There are so many things we can criticize Europe for – its lack of vision, its double-standards and hypocrisy. But the weakening of Europe as the continent is not to our advantage. It will be against our economic interests,” Çavuşoğlu said in an address on the occasion of the beginning of the 2022-2023 Academic Year at the Akdeniz University in Antalya on Oct. 31.

Türkiye is European as much as it is Asian and it should get focused on Europe at a moment when the continent is passing through difficult times, he said, “Because there is a conventional war in the center of Europe. Therefore, attaching importance to Europe, in which we are a part of it and when it is in need, is inevitable for us.”

Europe is not limited to the European Union, it also covers the Council of Europe and Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the minister recalled, stressing Türkiye – as a global actor – should contribute to resolving the problems of the continent.

“I mean let’s not try to seek advantages from the weakening of Europe,” Çavuşoğlu stressed, underlining that it would be against the Turkish economic interests. “The stability of Europe is important to all of us.”

The world is suffering from multiple crises which are intertwined and affecting the entire humanity, the Turkish minister stressed, repeating that Ankara is pursuing a balanced, active and conscious diplomacy. “That’s how we could turn into a global power from being a regional power. The era of just observing the developments and taking a position accordingly is over. The main skill is to be able to predict the developments and direct them.”

Türkiye is following a visionary and multidimensional foreign policy and it’s a must for the Turkish diplomacy, the minister underlined, adding “It is not a coincidence that Türkiye has become one of the most influential countries in drawing the attention on the need for a change in the global system. ‘The world is bigger than five’ and ‘a more just world is possible’ have already become the mottos used in the efforts to change the global system.“