Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reached out to the European Union on Saturday, while warning the bloc not to be manipulated amid escalating tensions over the eastern Mediterranean.
"We expect the EU to keep its promises, not to discriminate against us or at least not to become a tool to open enmities targeting our country," Erdoğan said in a video address to the ruling AK Party congress.
At one point Turkey had pursued a track towards EU membership, but it encountered opposition from several EU members.
Erdoğan also said: "We don't see ourselves elsewhere but in Europe. We envisage building our future together with Europe."
Turkey has no problem with any country or institution "that cannot be resolved through politics, diplomacy or dialogue," he added.
Erdoğan also added that Turkey wanted to actively use its long and close alliance with the United States for a solution to regional and global problems.
