Has Turkey ‘Lost’ Europe?: The Ankara-Brussels Relationship after Five Years of Accession Negotiations
President Barack Obama expressed his concern about the deteriorating EU-Turkey relations and the uncertain future of Ankara’s EU membership aspiration. If Turkish people “do not feel part of the European family,” he said,” then obviously they are going to look elsewhere for alliances and affiliations.” These comments echoed an often voiced argument among U.S. policy-makers: Brussels’ persistent hesitancy, if not explicit rejection, to offer Ankara a proper seat has contributed to Turkey’s estrangement with the West. Ankara’s recent rift with Israel, its ” no” vote on the UN sanctions against Iran, and its increasing engagement with neighbors in the Middle East – all these are considered unmistakable manifestations of the fact that the EU and the U.S. have lost one of their most reliable and strategically important partners.
After five years of negotiations, only thirteen out of thirty-five chapters have been opened. In an attempt to reaffirm the EU’ s commitment to Turkey, the European Commission’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, went to Istanbul in July 2010, announcing that negotiations on a new accession chapter will be opened. Can the European Union and Turkey revive their partnership? Does Turkey’ s new foreign policy line and growing self-assertiveness provide a burden or an asset for its membership aspirations? What role can the United States play to push forward and ensure that Turkey is firmly anchored in Europe?
Speakers
Juliette Tolay, University of Delaware
F. Stephen Larrabee, RAND Cooperation
Nuh Yilmaz, SETA Foundation
Moderator
Kadir Ustun, SETA Foundation
Organized by
Farina Ahaeuser, SETA Foundation
Event Summary
President Barack Obama expressed his concern about the deteriorating EU-Turkey relations and the uncertain future of Ankara’s EU membership aspiration. If Turkish people “do not feel part of the European family,” he said,“ then obviously they are going to look elsewhere for alliances and affiliations.” These comments echoed an often voiced argument among U.S. policy-makers: Brussels’ persistent hesitancy, if not explicit rejection, to offer Ankara a proper seat has contributed to Turkey’s estrangement with the West. Ankara’s recent rift with Israel, its “ no” vote on the UN sanctions against Iran, and its increasing engagement with neighbors in the Middle East – all these are considered unmistakable manifestations of the fact that the EU and the U.S. have lost one of their most reliable and strategically important partners.
After five years of negotiations, only thirteen out of thirty-five chapters have been opened. In an attempt to reaffirm the EU’ s commitment to Turkey, the European Commission’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, went to Istanbul in July 2010, announcing that negotiations on a new accession chapter will be opened. Can the European Union and Turkey revive their partnership? Does Turkey’ s new foreign policy line and growing self-assertiveness provide a burden or an asset for its membership aspirations? What role can the United States play to push forward and ensure that Turkey is firmly anchored in Europe?
