In the daily bulletin of Center for Eurasian Studies dated 1 October 2012, a news item was published in which Stefan Füle, EU Commissioner responsible for enlargement, had reiterated the Union’s open door policy towards the Western Balkan countries. It is noteworthy to state what this news item and Füle’s statements evoke for Turkey and the Balkans. As it is well known, the Balkans is a region in the southeast of Europe with distinguishing geographical, political, cultural, social and demographic features. As a matter of fact, the Balkans has been an inseparable part of Europe throughout history and the soft belly of Western Europe. Turkey, which has a focal position in the crossroads of continents and regions, is also a Balkan country. As such, Turkey has always been active in Balkan affairs, has opposed the negative and belittling approach which was coined as “balkanization” in recent times and has always been in the forefront for the stability and cooperation among the Balkan countries. The EU has come to realize years ago that it was inevitable to include the Balkans in the EU enlargement and concrete steps have been taken in this direction. On the other hand, the fact that Turkey is a Balkan country seems to have led the EU into adopting a discriminatory approach towards the Balkans, coming up with the creation of a novel division labeled as “Western Balkans”. It is understood that the “Western Balkans” entails the new republics which gained their independence from the disintegrated Yugoslavian territories and Albania. The west has an east. However, the east is not mentioned for the Balkans and the EU policies have encouraged the perception that Greece, Bulgaria and Romania complete the east. It would be appropriate to take into consideration that a membership negotiation process which excludes Turkey from the Balkans is bound to weaken Turkey’s European references.
© 2009-2021 Center for Eurasian Studies (AVİM) All Rights Reserved
No comments yet.
-
EU SUMMIT: COMPROMISE DEAL ON EUROZONE BANK SUPERVISOR
Alev KILIÇ 19.10.2012 -
THE ONGOING ONE-SIDED INTERPRETATION OF HISTORY BY ARMENIAN NATIONALISTS
Alev KILIÇ 29.11.2012 -
THE UNSTEADY SOUTHERN CAUCASUS
Alev KILIÇ 18.11.2014 -
WHY IS THE EUROPEAN UNION ON THE WAY TO BECOMING A FORTRESS EUROPE, CLOSED TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD
Alev KILIÇ 16.01.2013 -
“HABEMUS PAPAM”
Alev KILIÇ 13.03.2013
-
EXTREME NATIONALIST ARMENIANS IN THE USA OPPOSING CHUCK HAGEL’S CANDIDACY AS SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
Alev KILIÇ 22.01.2013 -
METSAMOR AND REGIONAL NUCLEAR-SECURITY IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS
Özge Nur ÖĞÜTCÜ 14.06.2016 -
COMMEMORATING HOVHANNES TUMANIAN
Çimnaz İ. DEMİRCİ 15.03.2019 -
COOPERATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CENTER FOR EURASIAN STUDIES AND THE INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OF NATIONAL CHENG-CHI UNIVERSITY (NCCU) OF TAIWAN
AVİM 21.10.2013 -
THE UNACCEPTABLE STATUS QUO IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH AND LITHUANIA
Alev KILIÇ 28.02.2013
-
Türk-Ermeni İlişkileri Üzerine Ömer Engin Lütem Konferansları 2021 -
A Letter From Japan - Strategically Mum: The Silence of the Armenians -
Japonya'dan Bir Mektup - Stratejik Suskunluk: Ermenilerin Sessizliği -
Türk-Ermeni Uyuşmazlığı Üzerine Ömer Engin Lütem Konferansları 2020 -
Anastas Mikoyan: Confessions of an Armenian Bolshevik -
Sovyet Sonrası Ukrayna’da Devlet, Toplum ve Siyaset - Değişen Dinamikler, Dönüşen Kimlikler -
Türk-Ermeni Uyuşmazlığı Üzerine Ömer Engin Lütem Konferansları 2019 -
Türk-Ermeni Uyuşmazlığı Üzerine Ömer Engin Lütem Konferansları 2018 -
Ermeni Sorunuyla İlgili İngiliz Belgeleri (1912-1923) - British Documents on Armenian Question (1912-1923) -
Turkish-Russian Academics: A Historical Study on the Caucasus -
Gürcistan'daki Müslüman Topluluklar: Azınlık Hakları, Kimlik, Siyaset -
Armenian Diaspora: Diaspora, State and the Imagination of the Republic of Armenia -
Ermeni Sorunu Temel Bilgi ve Belgeler (2. Baskı)
-
BALKANLAR'DA SOYKIRIM KAVRAMININ HUKUKİ TANIMININ VE İÇERİĞİNİN DEĞİŞTİRİLMESİ İÇİN YAPILAN YERSİZ VE YOZLAŞTIRICI GİRİŞİMLER -
AVİM 2021 YILLIK RAPOR | ANNUAL REPORT -
DEGENERATING DISCURSIVE ATTEMPTS IN THE BALKANS TO ALTER THE LEGAL DEFINITION AND CONTENT OF THE CONCEPT OF GENOCIDE
-
BOOK PRESENTATION - “THE TURKS AND EUROPE” BY GASTON GAILLARD