With its US partnership on the rocks, the EU is looking for new ways to bolster its defence. One option is to involve Turkey, with its strong army and arms industry. Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte has reportedly suggested that EU member states seek closer cooperation with Erdoğan. Turkey’s strong man, for his part, has repeatedly stressed the ‘strategic priority’ of Turkey joining the EU. Is a major deal in the pipeline?
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A favourable climate for rapprochement
Europeans are waking up to the fact that they need to do a lot more for their own defence, De Volkskrant nods:
“In the short term because of the war in Ukraine, and in the long term because a European defence structure needs to be built up, since we can no longer blindly rely on the US. The Turks are very useful in both respects. Erdoğan was clever enough to link the question of European defence to another issue: Turkey’s accession to the European Union. … Turkey hopes to use the cooperation on defence to get the stalled talks on a customs union, easier access to visas and ultimately EU membership back on the agenda. The climate for this seems more favourable than ever.”
Typical Brussels hypocrisy
The EU wants to use Turkey’s military power but not have it as a member, Yetkin Report comments:
“The hypocrisy, which seems to cause differences of opinion among EU countries as well, manifests itself in the arrogance of wanting to see Turkey in the hypothetical “new European security architecture” on the one hand, and being uncomfortable with Turkey even raising the issue of membership on the other. In the Donald Trump era, the Turkish-EU relations are trapped in a triangle of US pressure, fear of Russia and a patchwork ‘Europe of Values’. The traditional central powers of the EU want the Turkish Armed Forces to support them against Russia, not talk about membership. This is hypocrisy.”
Come back when you take democracy seriously
EU membership is a pie in the sky, Karar counters:
“Yes, Europe is in trouble with Trump and looking for an economic and political way out. From this perspective, Turkey’s accession would be an important step in the formation of a new power bloc. But that doesn’t mean they will forget all about European values such as democracy, the rule of law, freedom and human rights, and embrace Turkey with open arms. Because Ankara’s new EU dream can be summarised as follows: Europe needs us, so it should ignore our ‘Turkish-style tutelage’, our lawlessness, our disregard for freedom of expression and the press, and make us a full member!”
Europe begging the sultan for favours
Turkey is being called on to do the dirty work, observes Liberal:
“Faced with an emergency situation, Europe is now turning to Turkey as the ‘magical solution’ for its security and strategic status. … Yes, the Europe of values and principles, democracy and the rule of law is now begging Erdoğan for a way out of its strategic impasse. … The inability of the European countries to answer the initially theoretical question of who would be willing to station peacekeeping troops in Ukraine is leading them to Turkey. Turkey would never reject the deployment of ten or twenty thousand troops or more for a role that Europe is unwilling or unable to take on. The debate about a new security architecture for Europe, in which Turkey would also have to be involved, is nothing but sugar-coating for this dirty job that Turkey is being asked to do.”