Why does Erdogan say that Türkiye may break up with the EU?, Seeking "membership" for 36 years
On September 16, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Türkiye said that Türkiye might break away from the EU if necessary. This statement is shocking.
For many years, Türkiye has been actively applying to join the EU. Why did Erdogan say such a thing?
On that day, Erdogan departed for New York, USA to attend the United Nations General Assembly and made the above statement to the media at Istanbul airport regarding a recent report released by the European Parliament. Erdogan accused the EU of alienating Türkiye and trying to cut off relations with Türkiye. He said that in such a period, Türkiye will make an assessment of the development of the situation. If necessary, Türkiye may break away from the EU.
The report of the European Parliament has sparked strong dissatisfaction from Turkey
The European Parliament recently adopted a report on Türkiye, which accused Türkiye of not participating in the sanctions against Russia, and said that under the current circumstances, Türkiye's EU accession process could not be restarted, and the EU should find a "parallel and realistic framework" for bilateral relations.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye pointed out that the report of the European Parliament contains "baseless allegations and prejudices". The views on Türkiye EU relations are "superficial and short-sighted".
Türkiye's long road to "joining the league" has not been fulfilled for 36 years
Since the EU opened the EU accession negotiations for Türkiye in 2005, Türkiye has become one of the countries that took the longest time to apply for membership in international organizations. For over a decade, both Turkey and Europe have made progress and have never reached a complete agreement, nor have they explicitly expressed their abandonment or refusal, maintaining a distant relationship for a long time. Many countries that applied much later than Türkiye have joined the EU, but Türkiye is still hovering outside the EU.
As the "neighbor" of the European Union, Türkiye had been bent on joining the European Union and had worked hard on this road for more than 30 years. Türkiye tries to improve its national economy and international status by joining the EU. However, due to the opposition of some EU countries and the EU's claim that Türkiye failed to meet its main political standards, Türkiye's accession to the EU was not smooth.
Türkiye formally applied to join the European Community, the predecessor of the European Union, in 1987. It was not until 1999 that it obtained the candidacy. In 2005, it started the accession negotiations, but the negotiation process was blocked.
Over the years, Türkiye has helped Europe solve many refugee problems. However, the EU has been delaying Türkiye's accession process on the grounds of "human rights record". In addition, the two sides have also continued to bicker on other issues. A series of geopolitical issues, such as oil and gas exploitation in the Eastern Mediterranean, territorial and maritime disputes, have also become "thorns" between some EU countries and Türkiye.
The EU has been delaying Türkiye's accession process, and the "arrogance" has made many people in Türkiye dissatisfied.
Istanbul resident Akchai: This is really very sad. Türkiye has the ability and potential, but the EU does not want Türkiye to join.
Istanbul resident Selbas: They have prejudice. The EU does not accept Türkiye intentionally because they do not want Türkiye to develop.
Some experts pointed out that, in fact, the European Union and other western countries have been using Türkiye to determine its attitude towards Türkiye according to its future "performance".
Ochar, professor of international relations at Ibn Hardon University in Türkiye: This is a double standard organization, which only shows that the EU is neither an economic organization nor an alliance of the European people. It is a political alliance of the Western society and an extension of NATO and American imperialism.
