Yesterday the Prime Minister of Turkey Ahmet Davutoglu made a statement in Berlin that sooner or later the republic would be a full member of the EU. The head of the government stressed that the country was holding all the necessary reforms for this.
Vestnik Kavkaza asked Turkish political scientists to comment on the premier’s speech.
According to Ahmet Simsek, an assistant professor at Kastamonu University, “Davutoglu’s statement confirms that Turkey won’t reject its goal of membership in the EU.” “From time to time we hear that the country has changed its course in foreign policy, is seeking alternative ways of cooperation, but today one thing is clear – despite staff shifts in the Foreign Ministry of Turkey, the country has never changed its course on the EU. It is impossible. The EU is a golden apple for Turkey,” he stressed.
At the same time, the expert notes that European integration is not the only direction of Turkey’s foreign policy. “Being a great country means having contacts both with the West and with the East. We cannot separate these notions. Building relations only with Europe is impossible.”
Kursat Zorlu, an assistant professor of Kırşehir University, reminds that Turkey has done a lot on the road to EU membership. “At different times ruling parties caused indignation from the opposition in favor of joining the European Union. Sometimes, the decisions made contradicted the national interests of the country. One of them was the Customs Union of the EU. Turkey accessed it only because it was counting on joining the EU, facing the problem of a possible loss of economic independence,” the political scientist said.
However, Zorlu doubts that Turkey will achieve successful European integration in the near future, as some European states stand against it, such as Germany and France. At the same time, the political scientist is sure that Turkey shouldn’t only focus on European integration.
