Türkiye’s role in Ukraine war ‘textbook example of middle power activism’: Albanian premier

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – The role Türkiye has played in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is a “textbook example of middle power activism,” the Albanian prime minister said on Friday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the TRT World Forum 2022, Edi Rama said that the war in Ukraine has been a “watershed moment for European and Western security.”

“Invasion of Crimea must have been a non-negotiable red line for both the EU and NATO, for us all in the West, but instead we kept living on illusion that such a major transgression would only lead to continuous frozen conflicts, with no real and imminent consequences to the Western security,” he further said.

Those illusions were shattered when Russia started its war against Ukraine on Feb. 24, said Rama.

Touching on the Türkiye’s role in the global arena, the Albanian premier said Türkiye is “a contributor to European and global security through its flexible and pragmatic approach” and its efforts to develop strong and good partnerships.

“Türkiye has indeed served and can serve as we are witnessing nowadays as a broker of many disputes related to traditional security, as well as newer security challenges in the area of energy of food supplies of migration,” he added.

On the migration crisis caused by the Syrian civil war, Rama said Türkiye managed to control the crisis single handedly.

“Without Angela Merkel (ex-German chancellor), the honor of Europe would have not been saved. It was her who stood for welcoming the immigrants in Germany at that big crisis. But without Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the walls of Europe would not have stood,” he said.

“Türkiye is the key for the stability of Europe. And if we would imagine for one moment, the other way around, imagine how terribly Europe fall without its backdoor being safeguarded exactly by Türkiye,” he added.