Erdogan Forfeits EU Relations for Overtures With 'Long Indulged' Radicals

Ankara has long made overtures to radical Islamists battling against Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad and now has to face the consequences of its reckless policies.

The Turkish government can barely cope with the contemporary geopolitical challenges, according to a special report by the Economist.

The report suggests that part of the trouble Turkey faces nowadays is caused by Ankara’s inability to engage in sophisticated diplomacy that is badly needed amid the continuous standoff between Russia and NATO.

Ankara has failed to build relations with its closest allies, such as the EU, a major trade partner. European states scared of the migrant crisis, pushed Ankara to strengthen the control on the Syrian border in exchange for the revival of talks on Turkey’s membership in the EU.

The government is more concerned about how they can push Europe to acquiesce more.

“But there is little warmth in the relationship. Most European governments still see Turkey as a buffer more than a partner,” the report reads.

The downing of the Russian Su-24 jet by Turkish forces on the Syrian border reminded authorities that the state is at threat of being isolated. The incident was followed by sanctions imposed on Ankara by Moscow. The current losses in revenues have reached 0.7 percent of Turkey’s national GDP.

Moreover, Turkey consumes gas transported by Russia and Turkish construction companies with Russian contracts with and accumulated value of $10 billion.

“Turkey seems in danger of stumbling into an unplanned but potentially costly fight,” as pointed out in the report.

Ankara’s policies regarding Syria may also become a major threat to Turkey. Terrorist acts in both Istanbul and Ankara rocked the country recently, claiming the lives of over a hundred citizens. In both cases authorities placed the responsibility for the attacks on Daesh group, also known as the Islamic state.

“In a country that has long seen itself as insulated from Middle Eastern turmoil, the intrusion of violent radical Islam came as a particular shock,” the Economist stressed, saying that the Turkish authorities appeared to be unprepared for the consequences of their own policies in the Middle East.