Eyebrows were raised as Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Council of Europe President Charles Michel took their seats, leaving European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen standing. The awkward start to the meeting on Tuesday between the European Union’s top two executives and the Turkish leader at the Turkish presidential palace in Ankara was captured […]
Leaders of the European Union (EU) have agreed to continue with limited sanctions in response to Turkey’s gas exploration operations in contested waters off the coasts of Greece and Cyprus. The decision paves the way for the EU to target more individuals and companies involved in planning and carrying out drilling for hydrocarbons on behalf […]
Relations between the European Union and Turkey have been strained for many years, but with the threat of EU sanctions against Turkey could they fracture entirely? Two incisive Turkish minds, Prof Cengiz Aktar and Yavuz Baydar, will be assessing the situation with a critical eye ahead of a crucial EU Summit on 11-12 December where […]
Turkey doesn’t need the European Union, said the country’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday, echoing his comments about the US from the day before. “If you’re honest, make your statement and we will finish the job. We don’t need you,” said Erdoğan while addressing regional delegates representing his Justice and Development Party (AKP) […]
Speaking at Chatham House in London last week, Turkish EU Minister Ömer Çelik argued that both Britain and Turkey will still play an important role in future European affairs. Referring to the UK as “Europe’s gateway to the Atlantic, and Turkey, Europe’s gate to Asia,” he added that both countries will continue to shape […]
One of the European Union’s major institutions has called for a reorientation of its relationship with Turkey. The European Parliament wants the EU’s accession talks with the candidate country to be suspended if Ankara implements plans to expand President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s powers. These new powers, voted in after a controversial referendum in April, […]
On Tuesday, 11 April, I visited Brussels to interview the European Parliament Rapporteur for Turkey Kati Piri MEP. Ms Piri is a member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands and part of the parliamentary Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. As the Turkey Rapporteur, she is the parliament’s closest follower of […]
