How to Lose Friends: Ankara Losing its 'Last Ally in Europe'

Turkey has had numerous problems with other nations recently. But after the German Parliament voted in favor of labeling the 1915 killings of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide, Ankara is losing its "only friend in Europe," an article in Foreign Policy read.

"[Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, who is currently traveling in Kenya, said the vote to label the killings as genocide would 'seriously affect' relations between Turkey and Germany, and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu tweeted what appeared to be a subtle reference to Nazism," the article read.

The author noted that the decision of the Bundestag was made at an especially difficult time when the EU is trying to bolster an "already shaky deal" between Ankara and Brussels to stem the ongoing migrant crisis. According to the agreement, Turkey would accept more refugees in exchange for a visa-free regime with the Schengen zone.

"Ankara has hoped the eased travel could lay the groundwork for eventual EU membership. Recalling its ambassador to Germany, Turkey’s most important trading partner and the very country that spearheaded the recent deal, might not be a great place to start," the article read.

Bulent Alizira, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, told Foreign Policy that it is still too early to assess the impact the vote in Bundestag would have on relations between Turkey and Germany.

"At a time when Turkish foreign policy is going through a tough period, Germany was the one country that Turkey could rely on to understand its case and to bat for it," he said. "I think it’s almost certain that it will affect the German-Turkish relationship, but the question is how much more will happen beyond the recall of the ambassador and response by the parliament."

What is more, the decision was difficult for Germany too. Currently, nearly 3.5 million Turks live in Germany.

According to Alizira, despite the mounting international criticism of Erdogan, the Turkish government still wants to restore damaged relations with countries that were previously Ankara’s allies.

"The question is, as Germany, who has been steadfast in support of Turkey, is going through this kind of strain, will things get worse or get better? The jury is still out," the analyst said.

The vote in the Bundestag shows that German politicians preferred condemning the genocide of Armenians over ties and cooperation with Ankara, journalist Sami Kohen wrote in article for the Turkish newspaper Milliyet.

"Whatever the reasons were for the vote, it would cast a shadow on German-Turkish ties and damage both parties," he wrote.

According to the author, Ankara should act cautiously, responding to the Bundestag decision because political, economic, military and technical cooperation with Berlin is crucial for Turkey, at a time when it has problems with many countries, including the US and Russia.