Ankara wants to open a constructive dialogue with Europe and pursue a new strategy with Europe. While the horizon of Turkey's accession to the EU seems to have completely vanished due to the country's authoritarian drift, the line of pragmatism based on economic and strategic relations - from the fight against terrorism to energy collaboration and the question of refugees. On the one hand, Erdogan - who is preparing for the presidential elections in 2019 - also needs to renew his image in the country. From this point of view too, renewing economic relations - ensuring capital and commercial exchanges - with the EU states is seen as an important objective.
Relations with Paris
Yesterday's visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, the first - with the exception of Brussels - carried out by the Turkish head of state in a major European capital after the failed coup of 15 July 2016, is considered an important a sign of this new line of relations between Turkey and the Union. In the European context “Macron and Paris emerge as the most efficient actors. The profoundly negative relations established by Ankara with Berlin and Washington have opened an important space for political action for Macron ”, said analyst and politician Ali Yurttagul in an article in the Ahval newspaper. For the expert, on an economic level, the possibility of taking part in the "big projects" - from the defense to the energy sector - on the agenda in Erdogan's Turkey is the most important motive for Paris. Yesterday, on the sidelines of the visit of the Turkish head of state to Paris, an agreement was signed for the development of a long-range air defense system, entrusted to the Franco-Italian consortium Eurosam. The second motive, on the other hand, is of a more "pragmatic" order. "Macron believes that dialogue with Erdogan can take steps forward in issues such as freedom of the press, with a pragmatism similar to that demonstrated in relations with countries such as China and Iran," adds Yurttagul. "This pragmatism could perhaps lead to the release of one or two journalists, but it will not help improve press freedom or even the rule of law."
Relations with Germany
In recent weeks Ankara has also shown willingness to mend relations with Germany, a first-rate trading partner for Turkey. Conciliatory messages arrived from both sides after the meeting held last November in Turkey between Mevlut Cavusoglu and Sigmar Gabriel - respectively Turkish and German foreign ministers. Cavusoglu's meeting with his counterpart scheduled for today in Germany - in Goslar, in Gabriel's hometown - should serve to follow up the first positive contacts, launching "a new beginning", as the Turkish minister wrote in the letter addressed to the German media group Funke. “A new beginning” because 2017 was one of the worst years for relations between Turkey and Germany and there are still many problems to be solved. Starting from the state of arrest of dozens of German citizens, who according to the German government were imprisoned for "political reasons". Among these was Deniz Yucel, a Turkish-German journalist of the daily Die Welt, held in prison without even a single indictment for over 10 months. But relations between the parties also remain very tense due to the hundreds of asylum requests presented in the European country by citizens fleeing Turkey after the failed coup, including several diplomats whom Ankara accuses of terrorist affiliation. Erdogan and his ministers also accused Berlin of Nazi practices for not allowing the rallies to take place in Germany for the Turkish presidential referendum last April. Berlin's reaction, which at first was cautious above all in order not to damage the EU-Turkey agreement on refugees, has become increasingly critical of Ankara following the arrest of German citizens. And the issues that have been a source of confrontation have not yet been resolved. However, a more “pragmatic” approach towards Turkey seems to be emerging also for Germany. For example, Foreign Minister Gabriel, in an interview with the weekly Der Spiegel, explaining that the federal government has not approved numerous arms exports to Turkey, added that "the situation will not change until the Yucel case is resolved" . For this reason, recent positive comments by Minister Cavusoglu on the case of the Turkish-German journalist have led to his next release. Minister Gabriel, at the end of December, also indicated a possible way to change the status - still in force, albeit de facto frozen - of "EU candidate country" for Turkey. “A successful Brexit deal could serve as a model for managing ties with other countries, including Turkey,” said Gabriel, adding that “I can't imagine Turkey or Ukraine becoming EU members in the coming years. And that is why we have to consider other ways of close collaboration ”. For some time now, accession to the EU - and to the Copenhagen Criteria - have ceased to be an objective to be achieved for Erdogan, who nevertheless does not want to appear as the party that renounces the European perspective.