FILE - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, right, shakes hands with Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa during a joint press conference following their meeting at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday sought to position his country as a point of stability in an increasingly tumultuous world, saying Turkey was essential for European security and able to span geopolitical divisions over Ukraine, Syria and U.S tariffs that have sparked a global trade war.

Erdogan, who is facing disruption at home from protests against the imprisonment of his main political rival, was speaking at a diplomacy forum in the Mediterranean city of Antalya.

“It has become clear once again that European security is unthinkable without Turkey. Turkey is ready to take responsibility for European security in the future as well,” he said in an opening speech at the three-day gathering.

As trans-Atlantic relations cool under the U.S. presidency of Donald Trump, NATO member Turkey, which has the alliance’s second-largest military and a well-developed defense industry, is seeking a wider role.

The Trump administration has warned that the continent must look after its own security, including Ukraine, in future and has so far shown no willingness to back a largely European force in Ukraine in the face of Russian hostility.

Turkey has emerged as a key broker in the Black Sea region, preserving relations with both Ukraine and Russia. Erdogan and Trump have both spoken of their close personal relationship.

“I believe that our relations with the United States will flourish in every field during President Trump’s second term, also with the contribution of our close friendship with him,” the Turkish president told an audience of world leaders and diplomats.

Turning to Trump’s tariffs, Erdogan held out the chance of a positive outcome for Turkey, which has been placed within the baseline 10% tariff.

“We are doing our best to prevent the heated commercial competition over customs tariffs from becoming destructive,” Erdogan said. “Turkey will be one of the winners of this process.”

Turkey is also an influential actor in neighboring Syria as rebel groups it supported during the civil war took power last December. However, the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad aggravated already tense relations between Turkey and Israel, with their conflicting interests pushing the relationship toward a possible collision course.

When Trump hosted hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House last month, he advised him to be “reasonable” in his dealings with Ankara.

Erdogan told the forum in Antalya: “We are in a state of understanding and close dialogue with influential actors in the region, especially Trump and (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, in preserving the territorial integrity of Syria."

As if to underline this position, the new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa sat just two places away from Erdogan’s seat in the hall.

In an apparent warning, Erdogan said that “no-one should misunderstand our cool-headedness and our stance of resolving issues through dialogue.”

The president, a vocal critic of Israel’s operations in Gaza, also focused on the killing of civilians in the enclave.

“Even if it is at war, does a legitimate state act like this? Isn’t this called state terrorism? That’s why Israel is a terrorist state,” he said.

News from © The Associated Press, 2025