euinside

Cause and Effect in European Politics and Law

Dimitar Bechev: Turkey and the EU have no stimulus to unblock the negotiations

Adelina Marini, August 4, 2011

The facts in the negotiations process of EU with Turkey are brutal, commented Dimitar Bechev from the European Council on Foreign Relations, who was the second speaker in the discussion organised by euinside, the European Institute for Strategies and Policies|ESPI and StratCom on the topic Turkey And The EU: Formulas For Common Future. Each of the speakers spoke on a topic of their choice. The first speaker was Vladimir Shopov. Mr Bechev chose The EU And Turkish Foreign Policy - a very hot topic, given the level to which the zero-problems-with-the-neighbours policy, led by Turkey in the past 10 years, brought the country not only in the region but globally as well.

According to Dimitar Bechev, a main focus of Turkish foreign policy is the Middle East but it is interesting to note that Turkey has apprehended many of EU's foreign policy tools, like trade liberalisation. The analyst spoke about the Arab Spring too and threw the glove to the audience by deposing several myths about Turkey, maintained alive in Bulgaria's society, like for example that the DPS (the Rights and Freedoms Movement, representing the Turkish minority in Bulgaria) is the fifth column of Turkey in our country.