ANKARA, July 14 (BV) – Turkish government ally and Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli on Tuesday urged the European Union to stop treating Türkiye as a country waiting indefinitely for membership, saying Europe was weakening its own strategic position by excluding Ankara.
“Türkiye’s place is not in the waiting room of Europe,” Bahçeli said during his party’s parliamentary group meeting in Ankara.
He argued that Türkiye’s decades-long accession process had been driven more by political considerations than by technical membership criteria, accusing the EU of freezing negotiating chapters, delaying commitments and failing to meet its promises.
Bahçeli’s remarks come as Ankara seeks to revive relations with the EU while promoting closer cooperation on European security and defence, particularly following the NATO summit hosted by Türkiye earlier this month.
He also criticised Greece, saying Athens should not be allowed to shape EU policy toward Türkiye.
“It is neither smart nor sustainable to limit Europe’s security with the political calculations of Athens,” Bahçeli said, adding that no third country should be able to hold Turkish-European relations “hostage.”
Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration have repeatedly opposed Türkiye’s EU accession and have raised objections to expanding security and defence cooperation between Ankara and Brussels.
Bahçeli said Europe was facing growing strategic uncertainty and should recognise Türkiye’s importance for regional security and stability rather than continuing to keep the country outside the bloc.