Belgian Foreign Minister Prevot: Turkey is the guardian of the European continent's southeastern flank

Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prevot held a press conference at a hotel in Beşiktaş, Istanbul. Making statements regarding NATO, European security, the U.S. military presence in Europe, Turkey-EU relations, and the Customs Union, Prevot emphasized Turkey's strategic position within NATO.

Minister Prevot touched upon Turkey's defense investments, stating, "We truly see you as a strategic partner, as the country with the second-largest army within NATO. This is not only because you are a NATO ally, but also because you are in a very special and strategic geographical position.

You are the guardian of the southeastern flank of the European continent, and that means a great deal. My colleague, the Minister of Defense, also spoke about the exemplary role of the investments Turkey has made. You have increased your defense spending by 300 percent in the last decade. This is quite significant. We have set a spending trajectory for military expenditures, and we will continue to increase them because we want to continue being a reliable partner within NATO," he said.

Responding to a question regarding the U.S. military presence in Europe, Prevot replied, "We are aware of the possibility of the U.S. reorganizing its military presence in Europe. However, as Belgium, we do not have any specific concerns at the moment."

Stating that the Customs Union needs to be updated, Prevot said, "The Customs Union needs to be reviewed due to changing economic conditions since 1996. It is not the right method to best utilize the mutual benefits of the Customs Union. This is a great advantage for both Turkey and the EU. Therefore, I think it would be wonderful for us to move faster and further to review the Customs Union. Of course, we know that unanimity and consensus are required to restart the process. This means we need to manage the issues between Turkey and Cyprus correctly. For this reason, I find it important that Turkey continues to pay attention to this issue and engages constructively with other countries. Of course, other countries also need to respond positively to this. It is an issue that we must manage together and with a positive approach in order to reach an agreement in the end and to provide the best possible mutual benefit from a new Customs Union," he expressed.

Prevot also emphasized that a constructive dialogue between Turkey and EU countries is necessary for the process to move forward.