Erdogan's EU visit fails to produce results
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tried to use his Brussels visit to enhance his own domestic political clout, but the Europeans were not very keen on helping him.
On Oct. 4, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was about to start his long-awaited visit to Brussels. He had scheduled appointments with the highest officials of the European Union, including President of the European Council Donald Tusk, President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, and pro-government Turks were hoping that Erdogan would regain the favor of the West.
These hopes contrasted with the feelings of the pro-democracy and to a large measure pro-EU circles that have become wary of Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian tendencies. Many of them have a sense that the Europeans have betrayed them.
