According to Fidan and Sarkozy, Turkey’s accession became a subject of internal politics and the country began to be treated as part of the discussion
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has called for his country’s relations with the EU to return to the spirit of cooperation that existed before the tenure of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
“Our assessment is that Turkey and Europe in general, and Turkey and France in particular, should return to the pre-Sarkozy line,” Hakan Fidan said, adding that until the Sarkozy era, the political leaders of Germany and France , two major European countries, saw Turkey’s accession to the European Union as a strategic step.
Under Sarkozy, the Turkish foreign minister noted, Turkey’s integration became a matter of domestic politics and Turkey began to be seen as part of the identity politics debate. Nicolas Sarkozy was the president of France from 2007 to 2012.
The head of Turkish diplomacy pointed out that there are two approaches to strengthening Europe’s security: The first of these approaches is that Europe should create its own center of gravity in its region, including Turkey and adopting a geostrategic approach which will make it more resistant to international chaos and geopolitical risks. The second approach, Hakan Fidan said, is for Europe to remain “too dependent on third parties” for its own security.
“If Turkey had joined the European Union in 2007 or 2008… Back then when there were golden times. Because when Turkey was given this clear road map, EU reforms were underway and no international actors threatened Turkey. Because they knew how well Turkey is treated by the European Union and that a meritorious process was underway. But then Turkey’s accession became part of the identity politics debate in Europe’s internal politics,” Hakan Fidan said and called for this attitude to change.
“We must return to the “pro-Sarkozy” line. Therefore, a meritocratic path to integration should be opened. Turkey should unite with Europe to create a more effective force in the region.”
Referring to the visit of the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to Turkey, Hakan Fidan claimed that the impression he got is that the European official wishes to have an opportunity to start a high-level political dialogue between Ankara and Brussels and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “is certainly willing to move towards this direction”.
Source :Skai
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