Türkiye showing 'textbook middle power activism' in Ukraine war: Albania PM

Türkiye's role in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war is a "textbook example of middle power activism,” Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has said.

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

"[The] 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 said.

Those "illusions", Rama said, were shattered when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out in February. 

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Ankara's global role

Touching on Türkiye’s role in international diplomacy, the Albanian premier said Ankara has emerged as an important "contributor to European and global security through its flexible and pragmatic approach".

"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 Syria's civil war, Rama said Türkiye has managed to control the crisis singlehandedly.

Without Turkish President 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,” Rama said.

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