Turkish president Tayyip Erdoğan has stated that only Turkey can save Europe from its political, economic and defence stagnation and give it the impetus and the ‘vital force’ that it needs, warning the European Union that it must, for its own good, ‘face reality as soon as possible’ and that liberal democracy ‘is in serious danger’ in the face of the rise of populism and far-right movements in the West.
During a press conference after a meeting of his government cabinet in Ankara, Erdoğan stressed that far-right parties have become the dominant force in politics in Europe, where movements with anti-immigration and Islamophobic discourses are growing: a worrying trend that Turkey has been warning about for some time and that the latest elections – including in Germany – show that the warnings made by Ankara were well-founded.
‘For some time now we have been drawing attention to the rise of Islamophobic and anti-immigration far-right movements in the West. In many recent elections, unfortunately, our concerns have been corroborated,’ the Turkish president said in a statement that was reproduced by numerous media outlets in Turkey.
‘Liberal democracy is in crisis in the West’
According to Erdoğan, liberal democracy, ‘the most seductive ideology’ of the 20th century, is currently facing a serious crisis and the vacuum it is leaving is being filled by ‘demagogues of the far right’. In this respect, the Turkish president echoed the concerns expressed by Turks living in European countries about the increase in cases of racism and Islamophobia, saying that Turkey attaches ‘great importance’ to the welfare and safety of its Turkish citizens living abroad and is ‘closely monitoring’ developments in the old continent to ensure their safety and that of other Muslims.
For Erdoğan, what has happened in Syria and Ukraine are just examples of why the EU needs Turkey: ‘Only Turkey can rescue the European Union from the stagnation into which it has fallen, from its economy to its defence, from its politics to its international position. Full EU membership can save it: it is the lifeblood it needs,’ the Turkish president emphasised, adding that “the sooner the EU faces these realities, the better it will be for them”.
Turkey can save the EU from its rapidly ageing economy
The Turkish politician insisted in his speech that Turkey could be a ‘lifeline’ for the rapidly ageing economy and workforce of the Union. ‘As we have always done, we are ready to move forward in our negotiations on EU integration on the basis of mutual respect and benefit, with a constructive approach. With the necessary determination, we can achieve results quickly. Together, we will see where this process leads us,’ he concluded.
Erdoğan’s comments coincided with an interview given by the Turkish foreign minister to Bloomberg, in which Hakan Fidan reiterated that Turkey could consider other alternatives outside Europe if the negotiations with the EU – stalled since 2016 – are finally declared dead, in reference to Ankara’s recent application to join the BRICS, the bloc of emerging countries founded by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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