‘Türkiye has new opportunity for EU’

İZMİR

Türkiye has a new opportunity for European Union membership as the EU’s current focus is security, which means a newly constructed relationship with NATO, Germany’s former Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer has stated.

The EU will play a much more fundamental role in world politics in the coming period and will experience its strongest and the most powerful period, Fischer expressed during an interview with daily Milliyet.

Türkiye’s answers to the question of whether the country is positioning itself as an eastern or western state has a critical importance in terms relations with the EU, he added.

“For Türkiye, the question will be: ‘Where do we belong? To the Middle East? What can we gain there? Or do we belong to the West?’ This will be a key question for the nation’s strategic orientation,” Fischer explained.

Underlining that the main focus of the EU shifted to security following the Russia-Ukraine War, Fischer said that this change also pointed to a new circumstance to be developed with Türkiye.

“While saying that the EU’s new center is security, it also means a new relationship between the EU and NATO. In terms of that, Türkiye has a new opportunity in the EU,” he stated.

Referring to Türkiye’s delay to ratify Sweden’s NATO bid, he said, “Unfortunately, the government [Turkish] is missing this opportunity by blocking Sweden.”

“To put it bluntly, my advice to the Turkish government: Do not block Sweden, do not block Helsinki. Say welcome to them. On the other hand, I would say to Brussels: Türkiye is coming back,” Fischer expressed.

Stating that he was in the western province of İzmir for the first time and was deeply impressed by his experience in the city, he pointed out that he got a feeling of a Mediterranean Europe from the city.

Reiterating the importance of the country positioning itself in the world, Fischer stated that turning to the West was also a historical idea and aim of the founders of modern Türkiye.

“The necessity of Türkiye’s orientation to the West for its modernization has still not changed in my opinion,” he said.

Underlining that Türkiye has a single people, but hosts several ethnicities and religions, Fischer stresses that the problems derived from being a unitary state with such a diversity should be solved.