The Restless Geography: The European Union, Türkiye and the Balkans
07 December 2022
The state of affairs in this region appears to be dominated by a lack of mutual trust which reflects on their policies. The EU officials on various occasions, directly or indirectly, keep referring to certain “concerns” regarding Türkiye in this geography.
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Turkey - US Conundrum: S – 400 issue Now is the time to find a face-saving solution for all sides
06 March 2022
The brutal attack of Putin’s Russia on Ukraine and on its courageous people has shocked the civilized World. In the light of the flagrant violation of international rules and norms by Russia, many countries supported Ukraine, though initially, it did not really amount to much. However, on the other hand, one country, NATO member Turkey, has done more for Ukraine than most others. This was done despite being at great risk to itself.
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Our Three Weeks with the COVID-19 Virus
14 May 2020
We thought for the first three days that it was a simple cold. But our sickness did not go away. Then, on the morning of 28 March 2020, Zeynep, my wife woke up complaining of severe headaches and pains in her joints. Soon her temperature rose to 38.5 C. Realizing what might be happening I immediately contacted our friend, Prof Dr Haluk Özen, Rector of Hacettepe University in Ankara, one of Turkey's best medical facilities. We were advised to go straight to the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Hospital.
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Gallipoli Spirit
20 March 2020
As a Turk, every time I visit Gallipoli and the Straits of the Dardanelles, I am reminded of the way in which history touches our lives. Gallipoli touches my own in several ways. Both my wife and I are among those who lost members of their families.
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EU without Turkey
06 March 2020
Without Turkey, Europe just doesn't look right and in the long run it probably won't work. The idea of Turkey as an active player in the life of Europe is a relatively new one for people in Europe. Because Turkey industrialised much later than most of the countries on the north side of the Mediterranean, it was for many years just a bystander.
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EU - Turkey Relations
20 January 2020
With the latest worrying developments in the international scene, I believe it is time for the EU to rethink its policy approach towards Turkey. Both Turkey and the EU face the same difficulties, especially at the moment in the Middle East. Together we would have much greater strength to influence the events to come. In that context, discussion of “EU- Turkey Relations” will remain incomplete unless without first examining closely the interaction between Turkey and Europe.
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Must Turkey always stand alone in the world?
12 December 2019
Must Turkey always stand alone in the world? It has been a member of NATO for nearly 60 years, but on many issues, it looks to many Turks as if it is on its own. That feeling has of course been reinforced in the last fifteen years by the EU’s decision to reject Turkey’s application for full membership – and its complete blindness towards the fateful consequences of its act. In this article, I propose to examine some of the factors causing Turkey to feel isolated or that it has a poor image.
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Time to enhance the customs union: Analysis
22 May 2019
Everyone seems to agree that the time has come to expand the customs union between Turkey and the European Union. A quarter of a century has gone by since it was launched at the start of 1996. At the time it was considered as a step forward to the full political and economic integration of Turkey into the EU.
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