No more Mr. Nice Guy

Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in his parade-ground costume: Prime Minister of all Turks – even if they do already have second-generation German nationality. This was the Erdogan who addressed 10,000 immigrants of Turkish origin in Dusseldorf. In a similar mass rally in Cologne three years ago, the Premier stirred up controversy when he called "assimilation" a "crime against humanity". The sentence was dropped in verbatim once more, but a touch of clarification was added: "I say ‘Yes’ to integration."

During his tour of Germany, however, the Turkish Prime Minister has shown a selective perception of reality. No one should ignore the rights of minorities, urged Erdogan; yet the Kurds in Turkey will be asking why this does not apply to them. Everyone has the right to live his faith, he postulated; but that right is not extended to Christians in Turkey. Erdogan accused the Western powers of remaining silent over Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, yet rejects sanctions against the Gaddafi regime as harmful to Turkish business interests.

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From Turkey

Talking tough with the EU

Speaking in Düsseldorf on 27 February, in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish Prime minister Erdogan said that “If they do not want Turkey in, they should say this openly … and then we will mind our own business and will not bother them. I do not have a hidden agenda and I do speak clearly ... Don’t stall us ... Let’s not stall each other.” "Turkey’s tough language toward the European Union, seen as a way for the government to rally domestic political support, may also erode public confidence in the idea of joining the bloc", writes Turkish daily Hürriyet. “Instead of repairing the difficult relations and waiting for the political outlook of today to improve, making assertive statements that put relations into further difficulty does not serve the intended goal [of EU membership],” says EU expert Sinan Ülgen quoted by the Turkish daily.

Hürriyet adds that "some observers believe that such statements, in addition to being a domestic political tactic ahead of the June 12 general elections, could also pave the way for Turkey to abandon the EU bid in the future." “Turkey, always deemed by the EU as an unqualified student, is today a country that can develop strategies and is held up as a role model in the Middle East. This could give both the government and the Turkish public the upper hand to face off against the EU in the coming period,” says another EU expert, Ceren Mutuş. "Thirteen chapters have been opened in Turkey’s accession negotiations", recalls Hürriyet. Paris is blocking the opening of five chapters, while Brussels has frozen eight chapters in response to Ankara’s failure to open its ports. This leaves only three chapters that Turkish officials say do not carry any “political baggage”, but Ankara has been reluctant to fulfill the benchmarks required to open the competition, social policy and public procurement chapters."