Do improved ties with France, Germany signal end to Turkey’s EU bid?
Turkish liberals lament the state of Ankara-EU relations, but pro-government analysts believe developing practical ties with key European powers is better than waiting at the EU’s door.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to France on Jan. 5 and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s visit to Germany a day later point to a new page in Turkey’s relations with Europe. What these visits did not do, however, is provide any indication that Ankara's European Union membership is back on track.
To the contrary, the general impression among Turkish analysts of different political shades is that these visits may have sounded the death knell for membership.
