Turkey has been moving toward the European Union for five years
On the European stage, Ankara is actively supported by Germany. The fact is that more than 2 million Turks live on its territory, who flooded into the country as hired labor since the 1960s. Many of those who came later became quite successful people and, in turn, attracted investment to Germany from their former homeland. Thus, Germany became one of Turkey's largest trading partners in Europe.
On the opposite side is France, which advocates granting the country the status of a privileged partnership without including it in the EU. The main problem in relations between these countries is the unresolved "Cyprus issue". Let us recall that in 2004 Cyprus joined the European Union, which caused a protest from Turkey, which had occupied the northern part of the country since 1974 (the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus arose there). Turkey still does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus; all Turkish ports and airports are closed to it, and on the north of the island the most modern military equipment and gsm alarm are not uncommon. France believes that without resolving this problem, Turkey's entry into the EU is impossible.
By the end of 2009, Turkey had not fulfilled all the reforms needed for accession to the European Union, believe MEPs. They have been coming to this conclusion for the fourth year. The stumbling blocks remain the same "Cyprus issue" and the Kurdish problem. Kurds are an ethnic minority in Turkey that has long been subjected to discrimination and oppression. One of the main points of negotiations with the EU was the settlement of this problem. Meanwhile, despite formal reforms, the situation has changed little. Another proof of this was a recent incident when a man of Kurdish origin threw a shoe at the country's prime minister.
For the majority of Europeans, Turkey's accession to the European Union would be undesirable – numerous opinion polls say this. Europeans are wary of a Muslim country alien to their cultural values. The same cannot be said about politicians, who primarily assess the possible benefits for the Commonwealth. Turkey's army in NATO is the second largest. Moreover, the country is quite influential in the Middle East, which could significantly strengthen the international status of the EU.
It is strategically more advantageous to attract Turks to the side of the European community than to allow them to get closer to the East. A rather significant number of Turkish emigrants live in European countries. They prefer to unite in communities along ethnic lines and very slowly adopt the European way of life. Turkey's inclusion in the European Union would greatly facilitate the integration of these people into Western society.
In one of his recent interviews, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke about the current situation. He stated, in particular, that the country does not intend to deviate from the planned path of rapprochement with Europe. This can only happen if all EU countries do not want to see Turkey in their ranks. Erdogan also emphasized that a sad trend has developed in the world of identifying Islam with terrorism, and this, in turn, leads to the development of Islamophobia.
Today, the European Commission strongly recommends that Turkey continue to carry out reforms aimed at establishing human rights; limit the inflow of labor to Europe; change the legislative framework regarding taxation and improve the situation of trade unions; ensure the unimpeded functioning of the media. Of the 35 points of the negotiation plan, 13 are still blocked.
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