The Turkish president argues that the European Union<\/b> is keeping Turkey out for political reasons<\/b>, and talks of a shift in the balance in favor of Agkara<\/b>.<\/p>\n
At a period of heightened geopolitical tensions and upheaval on the international scene<\/b>, the Greece-Turkey is indirectly coming back to the forefront through the new harsh rhetoric of Recep Tayyip Erdogan<\/b>, who openly accuses the European Union<\/b> of systematically excluding Turkey<\/b> from its accession path<\/b>. The Turkish president tries to promote Ankara as an upgraded regional player<\/b>, arguing that the balance of power has now shifted in Turkey’s favour<\/b> and that Europe is more dependent on it than vice versa<\/b>. Against the backdrop of chronic disagreements and the frozen European integration path<\/b>, his position brings the fierce diplomatic confrontation<\/b> to the forefront<\/b>, while at the same time being indirectly linked<\/b> to the broader Greek-Turkish balance in the Eastern Mediterranean<\/b>.<\/p>\n
In a sharp rhetoric towards Europe<\/b>, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan argued that the balance has changed and now Europe<\/b> is more dependent on Turkey<\/b> than vice versa<\/b>. As part of his effort to highlight Ankara’s role<\/b> in a multipolar international environment, he turned his fire on Brussels<\/b>, delivering a clear message about Turkey’s place in the global scene<\/b>. As he characteristically<\/b> said, “The question is not where Ankara is<\/b>, but where Brussels wants to be in the world of the future<\/b>. Europe’s need<\/b> for Turkey<\/b> is greater today than Turkey’s need<\/b> for Europe and tomorrow will be even greater<\/b>.”<\/p>\n
According to him, the European Union<\/b> is at a critical crossroads<\/b> and risks seeing its future “darken”<\/b>if it continues to keep Turkey out<\/b>. This rhetoric, though presented as geopolitical analysis<\/b>, is interpreted as a clear attempt to pressure for barter<\/b>, at a time when Angara is presenting itself as an “island of stability<\/b>” amidst a backdrop of global instability<\/b>.<\/p>\nOnce again at the centre of Erdogan’s “firing” Greece and Cyprus
<\/h3>\n
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has returned to the familiar tactic of spiking his attacks on Athens and Nicosia, attempting to justify the years-long stalemate in Ankara’s relations with the European Union. He appeared particularly critical of the timing of Greece’s accession, which he used as an argument to denounce his country’s “political blockade.”<\/p>\n
“It is particularly striking. See, at that time our neighbour Greece applied for membership in 1975 and within a very short period of time was accepted in 1981. Turkey, on the contrary, was removed from the negotiating table for purely political reasons,” he said. At the same time, he reiterated his standard rhetoric on the Cyprus problem, targeting the 2004 enlargement and the accession of the Republic of Cyprus, which he called the “Greek Cypriot side of southern Cyprus”.<\/p>\n
Instead of focusing on the issues of democracy, rule of law and human rights that are the constant “thorns” in EU progress reports, Tayyip Erdogan preferred to talk about “deep-rooted prejudices”.<\/p>\n
He accused Europe of using Turkey’s democracy, economy and even religion as a pretext to slow down its accession. “Every time they find a pretext to exclude us,” he said, claiming that since the first application in 1959 until today, certain circles have sought to keep Turkey “at the door.”<\/p>\n
The Turkish president took an extensive look back from the 1963 Ankara Agreement to the 1996 Customs Union and the 1999 Helsinki Summit, insisting that his own government had fully fulfilled its obligations after 2005.<\/p>\n
In closing his statement, Tayyip Erdogan argued that Turkey had been forced to fight not only on technical criteria but also with a “hostile mentality.” Despite 218 changes to articles of law and ongoing reform packages, he believes the European Union has not responded at the same pace, especially after the 2016 coup attempt, which he used as an argument for Brussels’ “insufficient response”.<\/p>\n
The Turkish president’s narrative of “double standards” is in direct conflict with the reality of frozen negotiating chapters, as Europe continues to express serious reservations about Ankara’s backtracking in critical areas.<\/p>\n
However, he stuck to his theory that Turkey is being marginalized because of its loyalty and its population, concluding that it is Brussels that stands to lose from a continuation of this stance.<\/p>\n
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