What would the Turkish premier say if someone was to ask him this question: “Part of your ancestors came here 1,000 years ago from the environs of Shanghai, and then hit the road to Europe. We have been moving forward ever since. So, what are you suggesting now? That we turn our back on Europe, take the road to Shanghai and return to where we came from?”
Shall we take as an answer the following remarks he made in Prague on February 4: “Any deviation from the goal of EU membership is absolutely out of the question for our government. We are not looking for alternatives on this issue. But we are unhappy. I am bringing up the issue of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Some become annoyed. And why are you annoyed? Is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization an alternative to the EU? Those are two separate, unrelated structures.”
What was Turkey’s EU objective? Full membership. And this means integration. This is the reason why Turkey has given the cold shoulder to a status like a “privileged partnership.” In this case, we have to note as a good sign the prime minister’s remarks on Feb. 3 that, “Any deviation from the goal of EU membership is absolutely out of the question for our government. We are not looking for alternatives on this issue.”
Other remarks he made in Prague are also noteworthy: “To keep Turkey waiting for that long is something unforgivable and intolerable. Aren’t we supposed to ask them how can they keep a country like Turkey at the door for 54 years? What is it that Turkey has failed to fulfil or deliver? They keep repeating one thing — the Ankara agreement. But why don’t you go a bit farther back? What is it there?”
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