The remarks came after US President Donald Trump dismissed his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron's idea of building a “true European army” as “insulting” and insisted that European states should first pay their fair share for NATO.
Turkey's ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party spokesman Omer Celik has called the idea of a pan-European army an indication that NATO is currently shows signs of splitting, according to the Turkish news agency Anadolu.
“Three or five years ago this would have been unthinkable. It clearly shows an emerging crack in the transatlantic alliance,” he said, adding that the possible EU army isn't likely to become an alternative to NATO.
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Celik added that regardless of whether a European army is created or not, “no security can be ensured in either the Balkans or Europe as a whole without Turkish involvement.”
His comments came after German Chancellor Angela Merkel touted the possible pan-European army as a “good supplement to NATO.”
She supported French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal, stressing that “Europe must take its fate in its own hands.” In order to coordinate the issue, she also proposed to establish a “European security council.”
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US Department of State spokeswoman Heather Nauert, for her part, said that Washington did not want to see NATO…
