Turkey under Erdogan is not a reliable ally - it is a self-serving, destabilizing force that undermines Western security while demanding the benefits of NATO membership.

Erdogan has consistently weakened NATO unity and acted against the alliance's interests. He delayed Sweden's accession for over a year, giving Putin exactly what he wanted - division and hesitation within NATO. He purchased Russian S-400 missile systems, fully aware it would damage NATO's security infrastructure, and refused to back down even when it got Turkey kicked from the F-35 fighter programme.

Turkey has also refused to impose sanctions on Russia following the Ukraine invasion, instead deepening trade ties with Moscow, turning Turkey into a financial hub for Russian oligarchs evading Western restrictions. A NATO country helping Putin's war economy? That alone is grounds for removal.

Then there's Turkey's role in Syria and its repeated threats against fellow NATO members. Erdogan has openly provoked Greece, violated its airspace, and pushed for territorial claims in the Aegean. He has also launched multiple military operations in Syria, often undermining US and European interests while cozying up to Russia and Iran. This is not an ally - it's a liability.

If Turkey cannot be trusted in NATO, it absolutely does not belong in the EU. Full EU membership would mean free movement across Europe, billions in subsidies, and a say in European policymaking - all while Erdogan continues to erode democracy, jail opposition, and silence free speech in Turkey.

Turkey has already weaponized migration against the EU, deliberately flooding Europe with migrants in 2015-2016 and then threatening to do it again in 2020 to extract concessions. If Turkey were an EU member, it wouldn't just be blackmailing Europe from the outside - it would be sabotaging it from within.

Erdogan's Turkey is not a Western ally - it is a revisionist power that plays both sides for its own gain. It exploits NATO's security umbrella while aligning with Russia and Iran, and it treats Europe as a tool to extract money and political leverage.

Turkey under Erdogan is a Trojan horse within NATO, and giving it any influence in the EU would be a strategic disaster. It's time to stop pretending Turkey is an ally and start treating it as what it is: a hostile opportunist that undermines the West at every turn.