Turkey-EU ties Should Return to ‘Pre-Sarkozy era’: Fidan

“According to our assessment, ties between Turkey and Europe, especially Turkey and France, should return to pre-Sarkozy era,” Fidan told in an interview with France 24. Fidan recalled that France and Germany had regarded Turkey’s EU admission as a strategic step until Sarkozy came to power in 2007.

Sarkozy, who served until 2012, however, used the Turkish membership to the EU as a tool in French domestic politics, Fidan underlined, stressing that identity politics have totally ruined Ankara-Brussels ties since then.

During Sarkozy’s rule, France took unilateral decisions to interrupt the full membership negotiations of Turkey although the latter, as a candidate country, was showing progress in fulfilling all required criteria.

Describing the first years of Turkey’s negotiations with the EU as “golden years,” Fidan suggested that if Turkey would be admitted as a full member in 2007 or 2008, Europe would have a much more integrated security architecture.

“Turkey should integrate with Europe to build a more efficient power in the region,” he said, underlining this would also make EU more resistant to regional and global challenges.

On a question about EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Ankara in early December, Fidan said Turkey was very much willing to start high-level dialogue with the EU.

“Our observation is that she also wants to start this (high-level dialogue). Our President [Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] is definitely willing to do so,” he underlined.

Leyen and Erdoğan discussed the recent developments in Syria and how Ankara and Brussels can cooperate in reconstructing the war-torn country and the return of millions of Syrians to their homeland.

They also agreed to intensify bilateral dialogue to develop Turkey-EU ties, especially on the modernization of the customs union and visa liberalization. Both sides expressed their intention to hold a Turkey-EU summit in 2025 to coordinate on how to proceed on all these issues.

Source: HDN