Delivering the opening remarks at the Turkey-European Union Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting [Feb. 14] in Ankara, Parliament Speaker Cemil Cicek said: “Our goal is full membership to the EU. We will never accept any other status, or an alternative. If in fact there is any other preference, there is no need to keep Turkey waiting.” Turkey’s chief negotiator with EU, Egemen Bagis, also gave the same message with a strong emphasis. In return though, Ria Oomen-Ruijten, the European Parliament rapporteur on Turkey, asked for calm in rhetoric. “Bashing the EU, European Parliament and member states is not the way for constructive dialog,” she said.

Turkey’s ruling party, however, is expressing frustration with the EU process. During his official visit to Prague last week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the EU of being “disrespectful” to Turkey — at least. “We have been patient all this time. How far have we come? When you look, there is the Customs Union [1996] and Helsinki Summit [1999, when Turkey was given candidate status,] and the official start of Turkey’s negotiations,” Erdogan said. “Except these three, they only engaged us. Has any other country been treated like this? No. This is in essence disrespect to Turkey.”

Since Turkey officially applied to become a full member of the European family, a half-century has passed to no avail, and Turks by and large have lost their enthusiasm, or the notion as to why being a member of the EU can be important for Turkey. They perceive it as an old continent, crawling in economic crisis, yet still full of itself in a snobbish attitude that looks down to those considered different from them — religiously, ethnically, by birth, or whatever.

So, when Turkish prime minister asks, “What is more natural than us expressing this situation?” for Turks the answer is very clear: Nothing!