While most of the media coverage regarding Turkish Prime
Minister Erdogan's trip to the United States has looked east, to Turkey's
burgeoning relationship with Syria and Iran, the real breaking news may concern
Turkey's faltering relationship with the European Union.
In a speech at SAIS on Monday, Erdogan argued that Turkey's
accession is being followed closely by the Islamic world, as a sign of hope
that old cultural divisions can finally be bridged. However, he attacked
proposals to offer Turkey a "privileged position" with the EU instead of
outright membership, which German Chancellor Angela Merkel had previously
supported. Instead of making up new classifications of countries midway
through the process, he said that those who did not support Turkey's accession
to "just come out and say it."
In a meeting with Erdogan's senior foreign policy advisor
Ibrahim Kalin and Suat Kiniklioglu, the spokesman for the Foreign Affairs
Committee of the Turkish Parliament, it was clear that Turkish frustrations run
even deeper than Erdogan had let on. Kiniklioglu let it be known that his
patience with the Europeans had run out, and that he was "tired of being
lectured by French senators." According to him, European foot-dragging on
Turkey's accession had little to do with the lack of progress on the reforms
called for in the accession process, but rather "the identity issue" - Europe
is simply leery to let an overwhelmingly Muslim nation into its club.
While Erdogan and his advisors all maintained that Turkey's
decision to push for EU accession is still a "major strategic choice" of the
country, frustration is building - and Turkey is not keen to remain in limbo on
this issue forever. The Turks are trying to sell their admission into the EU by
emphasizing how their large population and steady economic growth, not to mention
their strategic location, could revitalize Europe's role in international
affairs. They are discouraged that this pitch seems to be greeted in Europe
with a shrug. Kiniklioglu specifically pointed to the appointment of Herman Van
Rompuy as president of the European Council. "What does this tell you about the
EU?" he asked rhetorically, that Europe would select a politician not
well-known throughout Europe - "or even, from what I've heard, among Belgians?"
Woven into all of this Europe-bashing was praise for the
Obama administration's ability to adapt quickly to the changing dynamics of
Turkish politics. This could be explained as a simple courtesy visiting
diplomats bestow on the host country, but there is good reason to believe it is
sincere: Obama gave
a gracious speech in the Turkish Parliament soon after his inauguration,
which unambiguously declared Turkey a part of Europe, and his openness to
negotiating with dirty regimes is in line with the Turkish outlook. The trip
was certainly not all happy talks and hugs (to wit: the startling
resignation of Turkey's ambassador), but Obama should look closely at
leveraging his good reputation with the Turks, and with the Europeans, into
patching up this failing relationship.
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