Yerevan /Mediamax/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that it is becoming increasingly impossible for Europe to continue as a global actor without Turkey.

“We are an inseparable part of Europe and view our European integration process as a strategic priority. It is becoming increasingly impossible for Europe to continue as a global actor without Turkey taking its rightful place,” TASS quoted the Turkish president as saying.

Erdogan emphasized that “European security without Turkey is unimaginable.” He said Turkey “expects Ankara’s European friends to face this reality and advance Turkey’s full membership process with visionary perspective.”

In late February, Erdogan stated that only Turkey’s full membership can save the European Union:

“Only Turkey can save the European Union from the deadlock it has fallen into, ranging from economy to defense and from politics to international prestige. It is only Turkey and its full membership that can throw a lifeline to Europe, whose economy and demographic structure are aging rapidly. The sooner the EU faces this reality, the better off it will be,” the Turkish president stated then.