Turkey intends to develop relations with the East and the West at the same time; only in this case will she be strong and respected. This was stated by Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, noting that Ankara is not choosing in favor of the European Union or the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
„Turkey can become a strong and respected country if it develops relations with the East and the West at the same time. Any other way will harm Turkey. We are not making a choice between the EU and the SCO, as some claim. We don't need to do one,” he said in Istanbul at the graduation ceremony for the graduates of the Naval Academy of the Republic. The broadcast was carried out by the TV channel TRT Haber.
Erdogan said after the NATO summit in July that Turkey intends to become a full member of the SCO. She now has observer status in the organization.
Ankara has officially sought to join the EU as a full member since 2005. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said that membership of the European Union is a strategic goal for Ankara, but opposes linking the issue to its integration in the EU with the settlement problem in Cyprus. Earlier, the Turkish authorities said that settlement of Cyprus is possible only by recognizing the existence of two states on the island.