09.05.2026 12:05
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that the European Union's need for Turkey is greater than Turkey's need for the Union, stating, "This need will increase even further in the future."
President Erdoğan's message for Europe Day on May 9 was shared from the Presidency's Directorate of Communications' social media account.
In his message, President Erdoğan stated that Europe Day, May 9, when the Schuman Declaration, which laid the foundations of European integration, was announced, is not only one of the symbols of the European Union but also a concrete indicator of the goal of building a common future based on peace, cooperation, and mutual respect on the continent.
"TURKEY HAS NOT TAKEN ITS RIGHTFUL PLACE"
Emphasizing that the rules on which the European Union was founded 76 years ago are being tested simultaneously by multidimensional crises, Erdoğan said:
"Wars, political crises, and economic difficulties felt on a global scale have made it necessary for the European Union to pursue more inclusive and unifying policies. Turkey, as a candidate country for the European Union, continues to be an essential and indispensable element of this process. At the point reached today, it is clear that a European architecture where Turkey has not taken its rightful place will be incomplete and will experience weaknesses in crisis management capacity. As we have stated before, the European Union's need for Turkey is greater than Turkey's need for the Union, and this need will increase even more in the future."
"I CONGRATULATE EUROPE DAY"
President Erdoğan underscored that Turkey, on the basis of the principle of pacta sunt servanda, has the will to advance relations with the European Union with a win-win approach and a full membership perspective, and in his message, he said: "We expect this sincere will to also be demonstrated by the European Union. With these thoughts, I hope that Europe Day on May 9 will bring peace, tranquility, and solidarity to our common geography, and I congratulate European peoples, especially our citizens, on Europe Day."