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.
Turkey’s pro-European secular liberals may be lamenting Ankara’s gradual abandonment of its EU perspective. This confirms for them that a less democratic and more Middle Eastern Turkey is emerging.
Pro-government nationalist and Islamist quarters, including members of Erdogan’s close advisory circle, however, are not perturbed. They talk about a new chapter in ties with Europe based on realism, rather than pipe dreams laced with broken promises.
