European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that Turkey has one of the largest armed forces in NATO and plays an important role both within the alliance and in relations with the European Union, Anadolu reports.

Speaking at the Defense Industry Forum of the NATO summit in Ankara during a panel discussion titled “The Capability Challenge: NATO-EU Dialogue” alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, von der Leyen stressed the importance of closer coordination between NATO and the EU, joint procurement, and strengthening Europe’s defense industrial base amid the changing security environment.

She noted that EU member states and NATO allies largely rely on a “single set of forces” that can be deployed in NATO missions, EU operations, UN missions, or coalitions of partner states.

According to her, the interoperability of armed forces is of key importance, and the current geopolitical situation requires a “massive increase in defense investment.”

Speaking about Turkey, von der Leyen emphasized that the country occupies an important place in this system.

“Turkey has one of the largest armed forces in NATO, is of enormous importance, and has always played an important role in the alliance, as well as, of course, in our relations with the European Union,” von der Leyen said.

She added that there are opportunities for closer cooperation between Turkey and European defense initiatives, including the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) mechanism, which provides funding for joint procurement of defense products.