Can President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's recent visit to Brussels be considered the beginning of a new era in Turkey-EU relations? EU authorities, particularly European Commission (EC) President Jean-Claude Juncker, say the EU needs Turkey more than ever now. With the refugee crisis starting to threaten the EU through Turkey, the EU has realized the reality in Syria and Iraq. On the other hand, Russia's direct military support to Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime has escalated the West's concerns. So, will the EU continue to be dependent on the energy of Russia, which poses a threat to itself and stirs the Caucasus and the Middle East for its own interests? When this question is addressed together with the refugee crisis, Turkey's significance for the EU will obviously grow from now on. Why does Germany overlook this truth despite EC and Brussels having realized it? This question should be addressed thoroughly in these next few days.

Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank specializing in economics, published a paper titled "Designing a new EU-Turkey strategic gas partnership" in July. Even though this paper focuses on energy, and natural gas in particular, it actually questions the quest for a new economic and political integration on the basis of energy. It says, "The 2014 Ukraine crisis brought energy security concerns back onto the European Union's agenda." In February, the EC called for intensified work on the Southern Gas Corridor (SGC) and the establishment of a new strategic energy partnership with Turkey. Erdoğan was asking EU authorities the question of why they insisted on not opening two strategic chapters - energy and defense - in Turkey's EU membership process. It appears that despite this call from the EU, a certain power does not want to establish a partnership with Turkey, particularly on strategic topics such as energy and defense, or from a broader perspective, a certain power never wants Turkey in the EU. Our historic and concrete experiences tell us that this power is Germany, which does not favor Turkey despite the EU's call and Russia's situation. The issue is not confined to a passive aversion to Turkey like avoidance of opening such chapters or founding strategic partnership proposed by the EU.

German and British mainstream media outlets' attack Turkey though Erdoğan has risen, especially after February 2015, with the EC's call for the establishment of a strategic partnership with Turkey. Likewise, the same media outlets reported Erdoğan's successful visit to Brussels in a distorted manner and avoided touching on major topics such as energy, defense and the refugee crisis.

The Bruegel's paper says, "A coherent and actively coordinated strategy on the SGC could allow the two players [the EU and Turkey] to strengthen gas cooperation with Azerbaijan (to date the only prospective supplier of the SGC) and to open new, realistic, cooperation avenues with other potential suppliers in the region: Turkmenistan, Iran and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) [Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)." Actually, the paper implies that this can be achieved if the EU accepts the strategic importance of the SGC and Turkey. It also suggests that four task forces - EU-Turkey-Azerbaijan, EU-Turkey-Turkmenistan, EU-Turkey-Iran and EU-Turkey-KRG - come together to establish integration and diplomacy. Although all of them include Turkey, the one that includes Turkey and Iran together is increasingly losing its currency with Iran's efforts to destabilize Turkey after its agreement with the West. The pillars that include the KRG and Azerbaijan indicate the projects that are being created physically, while the one that includes Turkmenistan points to a project that is being worked on.

Russia's direct involvement in the Syrian civil war, in favor of the Assad regime, will maximize both the EU's energy security and the refugee crisis. I hope the EU will not learn by experience once again, knowing that it cannot trust Russia and Iran. Or else, this will be an experience that will cost humanity at least as much as World War II.

On the other hand, ensuring stability in Syria is not possible without Turkey. That is why Brussels should talk over strategic topics, on which Ankara has laid emphasis in membership negotiations for a long time. Additionally, if the EU promises financial assistance to Turkey considering it as a buffer zone for the refugee crisis, this is not a path that Turkey can accept and not a sustainable and exact solution.

As in the energy issue, the sole exact solution for the refugee crisis is to accelerate Turkey's integration into the EU and to create a political path that will end the civil war in Syria in cooperation with Turkey. The first step toward this might be the establishment of a no-fly zone. It should be noted that Turkey has done its best to handle the refugee crisis and there is not much more it can do. From now on, the rest of what needs to be done is in the EU's power. We have seen the signs of a solution in Brussels. I hope Erdoğan's successful visit will produce positive consequences soon.