Turkey has been pursuing a balanced foreign policy between the East and the West, presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said Wednesday.
Speaking at a meeting with the representatives of international media organizations in the Turkish capital, Kalin said Turkey’s NATO membership did not prevent Ankara from establishing close relations with Russia, China or other countries.
"Foreign police is not a zero sum game to us. Getting closer to Russia does not need to have a negative impact on our relations with the U.S. and Europe.
"In the same manner, being a NATO ally does not mean that we will completely cut off our relations with Russia, China, African countries or Latin America," he said, adding Turkey’s geopolitical position necessitated a multifaceted foreign policy.
Kalin said Turkey shared closer views with Russia in some issues, while sharing similar views with the U.S. and E.U in some others.
"It is impossible to reduce foreign policy to a single bloc under the current circumstances. Instead, we are pursuing a balanced policy between the East and West.
"Moreover the developments in economy and security force us to adopt a wider perspective," Kalın said.
Erdogan's aide also commented on the future of Turkey-EU relations, associating the lack of "desired momentum" in the accession process with the anti-EU, anti-Turkey and anti-refugee sentiment across the continent.
"If the EU is suffering from 'enlargement fatigue', they should know that Turkey is also feeling tired and indignant because the membership process is not moving forward".
Kalın reiterated that the EU had yet to fulfil its commitment to Turkey over a refugee deal signed in March 2016, and went on to say that issues with the visa-free travel agreement could be resolved if the European Commission presented a "reasonable" offer.