Luxembourg sees potential for closer defense cooperation with Türkiye

By Zehra Nur Celik

ANKARA (AA) - The president of Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies said Thursday that Türkiye’s advances in the defense industry could pave the way for closer cooperation between the two countries.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Ankara following bilateral and interdelegation meetings with Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus, Claude Wiseler said: “Türkiye has a very strong defense industry.”

“We know that Türkiye has made very significant progress in this regard. Therefore, I believe there could be important partnerships in communication and information sharing when it comes to defense policies,” he said.

Noting that relations between Türkiye and Luxembourg could be further strengthened, Wiseler said the two countries were marking the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Highlighting bilateral cooperation, Wiseler said: “We have always been partners, of course. We have always discussed issues, held talks and maintained contact. However, given the current geopolitical situation in the world, this cooperation and relationship now need to gain new momentum and move to a new level.”

“That is precisely why we are not looking for new partners. You are already a longstanding partner for us, but we want to take this partnership to another stage, to a different level,” he added.

- Luxembourg supported Türkiye’s EU membership bid from outset

Kurtulmus, for his part, said: “Luxembourg has been one of the European countries friendly to Türkiye that has supported its EU membership process from the very beginning. Therefore, I consider it my duty to thank them openly once again.”

Stating that Türkiye has always maintained that diplomacy should be the primary avenue for resolving all regional problems, Kurtulmus said Türkiye had continued to play a strong mediating role in the Russia-Ukraine war from the outset.

“We have also stated that the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran has already turned into an endless spiral of tension, from which neither the two countries, nor regional countries, nor the world will benefit in any way,” he said.

Kurtulmus said they also discussed Israel’s aggressive stance in the region, which it has maintained for a long time, its actions affecting countries across the region and, in particular, its “inhumane actions” against the Palestinian people.

“We expressed our strong appreciation for Luxembourg’s decision last year to recognize the State of Palestine and conveyed our congratulations and thanks,” he said.

Kurtulmus said another issue of regional importance was developments between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

“We focused our discussions on the vital importance of this normalization process, with Türkiye’s involvement, in ensuring lasting peace in the Caucasus and thereby establishing secure connectivity between East and West, and between Asia, the Caucasus and Europe,” he said.

Speaking about the Memorandum of Understanding on the Delimitation of Maritime Jurisdiction Areas between Türkiye and Libya, Kurtulmus said: “This agreement was not concluded against any third country.”

“It is an agreement that will safeguard the sovereign rights of Türkiye and Libya in their maritime jurisdiction areas in the Mediterranean,” he added.

Zehra Nur Çelik