Alliance Géostratégique

John Greenway (United Kingdom) has been a Member of Parliament for Ryedale (North Yorkshire) since June 1987. He is the author of numerous reports of the Assembly. In particular, together with Mr Muñoz Alonso (Spain), he recently submitted a report on behalf of the Committee for Parliamentary and Public Relations on “European security and enlargement: shifts in public opinion” (Document 2054) which was adopted during the December 2009 plenary session of the European Security and Defence Assembly. He is also the Chairman of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Population of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly.

Turkey’s foreign and security policy could be a real asset for Europe. As a veritable bridge between East and West, Turkey holds a key geostrategic position: Europe would be wrong to deprive itself of such an asset. Not only is Turkey an active participant in several EU crisis-management operations and a major partner in the NATO operation in Afghanistan, it is also an important transit country for energy imports into Europe and a key player in any solution to the Middle East conflict. Turkish relations with Armenia are also improving, which could help in resolving the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

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After Menekse Tokyay (“L’Islam peut aussi s’approprier le projet européen”), Ekavi Athanassopoulou (“The crux of the issue is Turkey’s size and enormous potential”) and the Jeunes Européens – France (Candidature turque : “L’Europe doit maintenant affirmer son ambition”), Kadri Kaan Renda, doctoral student in European Studies Department at King’s College London, gives us his point of view on Turkey and its relations with the European Union.

Can you summarize the current economic and political relations between the EU and Turkey?

The European Union (EU) has always played a crucial role in Turkish economy and politics in one way or other. This is of course not accidental. Needless to say, the Turkey-EU relations commenced as an economic cooperation with political and strategic considerations in minds of both parties. The reasons behind the establishment of the Customs Union in 1995 are not only economic but also political. Since then the EU is Turkey’s most important trade partner. More than half of Turkey’s trade is with the EU and Turkey is economically the most integrated candidate into the EU’s economic structures with ironically no rights in the decision-making process.
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AGS a demandé à Cem Devrim Yaylali (Unofficial Homepage of Turkish Navy et Bosphorus Naval News) sa lecture personnelle des relations entre la France et la Turquie.

Iskenderun: Benoît de LAURELLE, Military attaché – Cemil AKSAK, Sub-Governor of Iskenderun – Bernard EMIÉ, French Ambassador in Ankara – Captain Gilles BOIDEVEZI, Commander of frigate Jean Bart.

I would like to thank to the editor and the contributors of this blog for allowing me to write as a guest. I feel honoured.

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After Menekse Tokyay last week (« L’Islam peut aussi s’approprier le projet européen »), Dr Ekavi Athanassopoulou, Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Athens and Senior Research Fellow at ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy), has accepted to answer a few questions about Turkey and its candidacy to the European Union.

What is the official position of Greece regarding Turkey’s candidacy for EU membership? What about Greek public opinion?

Athens is very much in favour of Turkey’s accession to the EU as long as it fulfils the required by the EU criteria. The majority of Greek public opinion thinks along the same lines.

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