French Perceptions of European Defence and Türkiye’s Role

French President Emmanuel Macron has been calling since 2017 for a relaunch of the European debate on strategic autonomy – in response to Brexit, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and persistent doubts about Washington’s commitment to NATO – and has positioned France to play a leading role. The debate about Türkiye’s role in a new European security architecture, in particular in the framework of Türkiye’s membership of NATO, is particularly salient for France as the two countries share a long record of close economic, political and cultural ties. However, the past ten years (and Macron’s presidency in particular) have seen a succession of crises and tensions in bilateral relations. These have led to a shift in the French perception of Türkiye, from an ally to a strategic competitor. As a consequence, even if the tension seems to have lessened recently, there has been little or no discussion in France about Türkiye’s potential role in the European security architecture.