Relations between the EU and Turkey became worse in recent weeks. And now the Turkish authorities discuss whether or not to stop the accession talks. Melih Altinok, a reporter of Daily Sabah, presents his point of view on the situation in the article EU changed, so did Turkey's accession talks
The European Union's unexpected support to terrorist circles targeting the Turkish state has led Turkish authorities to discuss whether or not to stop the accession talks. During the years when I used to define myself as a left-wing liberal, I regarded Turkey's EU membership as an opportunity for the country's demilitarization and democratization since the political powers suppressed by the military tutelage, who turned a deaf ear to our demands of democratization, were afraid.
The reforms and the "imposition" of EU values offered a chance to break the resistance of the military-civilian bureaucracy that dominated the country at that time.
Despite the displeasure displayed by the radical Marxists, the EU could still be defended with arguments of internationalism since it was a major civil society project. Although the EU never promised to unite all the workers in the world, it promised to form a convenient ground for solidarity between all the democrats in Europe.
I was not wrong, to a certain extent. The Justice and Development Party (AK Party), which came to power in Turkey in 2002, has taken many steps in regard to democratization with impetus given by the EU. Thanks to the positive atmosphere that was achieved, the proportion of Turkish citizens supporting Turkey's EU membership process increased substantially.
Meanwhile, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the founder and the then leader of the AK Party, set about a series of structural democratic reforms in Turkey's political system, which relied on military tutelage that was, theoretically, criticized by the EU. Thanks to the popular will and the support of the electorate, Mr. Erdoğan has so far undermined the bureaucracy that was formerly restricting the activities of Parliament.
It was quite expected that the illegal networks that infiltrated state apparatuses including the judiciary, which controlled the activities of political will not on the basis of form but fundamentally and employed juristocratic methods resisted the reforms. After all, the status-quo and the sovereignty of tutelage groups, who did not have any electoral support, were threatened. The illegal networks eventually united to stage a military coup on July 15, 2016. On the night of July 15, some 259 civilians were killed while around 2,000 others were injured. I will never be able to forget that horrendous day both as a journalist who continued to broadcast despite the risk of death and as a citizen who witnessed the atrocities on the streets.
So, nothing came as a surprise in the exposed motivations of Gülenist radicals, who acted as NATO's hit-men and confessed that they had prepared for this insurrection for years. On the other hand, the EU's reaction to this atrocity was noteworthy.
Although the EU suggests endless criteria for Turkey in terms of demilitarization and democratization, the EU countries issued only tepid condemnations against this deadly coup attempt. More than that, the coup plotters have taken shelter in various EU countries.
In advance of the constitutional amendment referendum that is to be held in Turkey on April 16, it is not possible to explain Europe's hostile attitude toward President Erdoğan and the AK Party government in the framework of EU values. Even in Switzerland, some rallies organized by coup proponents or terrorist groups have called on people to "kill" the democratically elected president of an EU candidate member country. And this was allowed by authorities.
For all these reasons, the Turkish electorate from different societal segments agree with President Erdoğan's latest suggestion of putting the EU membership issue to a referendum, including me, who was once an ardent supporter of EU membership. Our idea of Europe was radically different from the current picture, and I think European democrats feel the same way.
