The "Painful Sides" of the EU Once Again Became a Winning Card in the Hands of Turkey

• 05.31.2017, 15:58
• Greta Avetisyan
•  Europe,  Region,  "Insight" Analytical Center ,  World,  Analytics

Turkey and the EU have reached an agreement on a plan of action for a year to restore relations. It is interesting that this agreement is reached on the background of Turkey-EU mutual accusations, violations of human rights, freedom of speech, pressure and arrests in Turkey. Nevertheless, this agreement proves the truthfulness of the following approach that was so widespread: conditioned by the EU-Turkey mutual interests neither of the sides will pass today from accusations addressed to each other to concrete and tough actions.

The reached agreement mainly refers to the liberalization of visa regime and financial assistance from the EU in reception of refugees: issues that Turkey has for many times used against the EU as a threat. So what are the main reasons for reaching this agreement?

First of all it should be mentioned that a new reality is created in Turkey. Presidential system of governance is established in the country, while Erdogan has become the first president in the history of the country, who is also party-affiliated (recently Erdogan was elected the leader of the ruling AKP). Solving the problem of his power and taking almost everything in the country under his control, Erdogan now needs to balance the foreign policy of the country and undertake steps not to lose its important partner – the EU. It is conditioned by this fact that during the recent days the criticism by the Turkish high-level officials directed towards the EU have become less. Moreover, recently Erdogan declared that despite the existing disagreements, Turkey will seek EU membership.  

In this context it is also not accidental that when agreeing the action plan, the heads of the EU structures expressed their concerns over the restoration of death penalty, to which the response of the Turkish President was of "calm down" nature: "The Turkish government will consider the issue of restoring the death penalty, if a legislation on the issue is submitted to the Parliament." Such a statement once more shows that especially during the recent times the talks on restoring death penalty aimed at deviating the attention of the international community, particularly of the EU, from the voice raised around the constitutional referendum, which, we can say, succeeded. And now Turkey will gradually start refusing this ides as a manifestation of "good will", thus receiving the applauses of the EU.

As for the motives of the EU to come  to such an agreement with Turkey, then as before, today as well migrants for the EU are one of the main security problems. In such a situation the EU finds Turkey to be the main supporter that can help relieve the burden of the migrants. Besides, Turkey is the main partner of the EU in the region, thus not to lose its influence in the region, the EU is ready to be limited with the voiced criticism and take a step forward to restore relations with Turkey.

So, it can be said that the EU-Turkey relations are entering a new phase. To expect that in these relations the ice will quickly melt and a stage of close cooperation will begin, is not logical, but, taking into consideration the above mentioned mutual interests, a positive dynamics will be registered. This means that Erdogan once again succeeded in "blowing dust" into the eyes of the international community and "played" correctly with those issues that are the "painful sides" of the EU.