The door has closed on Turkey’s participation in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE )program, but the window remains open

 

24 October 2025, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

Following the conclusion of the European Council Summit meeting in Brussels, President Christodoulides and the Government are emphasizing in every way and by every means Turkey’s exclusion from its participation in the SAFE program, a financial program that concerns the financing of investments in the defence and armaments sector of European Union member states.

The statements and headlines may close the door on Turkey’s participation in the SAFE program, however the window is open and Turkey has already secured its participation through the back door. Ankara has long since secured partnerships and joint ventures between its defence industry and European companies, and this has also been done with the encouragement of NATO and powerful European Union member states, but also with the unacceptable tolerance shown by the leadership of the European Union.

The Cypriot people, just like the peoples of Europe too, will be called upon to pay billions of euros that should have been channelled into spending on education, health, social policy, innovation and the environment, but instead are being invested in turning the EU economy into a war economy. In this context, Turkey, which is illegally occupying territory of the Republic of Cyprus, is on top of everything else being rewarded!