The refugee crisis, which has officially become a topical issue in Turkish-EU diplomacy with German Chancellor Angela Merkel's recent visit to Istanbul, has undoubtedly brought about the beginning of a new era in Turkey-EU relations. During the visit, Merkel focused on a single question of what the EU would do if the influx of refugees continued at the current rate. Since the very beginning, Turkey has put forward and striven to implement two basic policies on the refugee crisis. First, it says the root cause for this problem is the ever-barbarizing regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and that Assad must go. Second, the territorial integrity of the countries involved, including Iraq, and the peoples' wishes must be respected. Why does Germany object to the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) free use of its energy resources and its right to self-determination? Unlike the EU, Turkey has opened its doors to Syrian refugees and many others, and has not left them dead in the midst of the Mediterranean Sea. Today, refugee camps in Turkey offer the most decent and humane living conditions that the world has witnessed so far.

Turkey does not want financial support for refugees, but argues that humanitarian and political steps must be taken to bring a permanent solution to this problem and dictators who tyrannize people and instigate civil wars in the Middle East and Africa must be dethroned. Those who complain about the refugee crisis fomented by the Assad regime cannot be sure that the same problem will not be triggered by Egypt's coup-maker President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi in the near future. This is because there is hardly any qualitative difference between the Assad and el-Sissi regimes.

In addition to taking steps to solve the humanitarian issues, Turkey is doing its best to ensure economic integration. The Southern Gas Corridor (SGC), for instance, is a major step toward such integration. As I stated many times in my previous articles, apart from this transit energy line that connects Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, the fact that Azeri gas directly reaches the European market is not only an energy move, but also a major policy suggesting that the political geography, which was changed to the detriment of the countries in the region after the two world wars, must be redrawn in line with the interests of those countries and natural wealth must be given back to its true owners. This is also a significant step that will make Europe expand toward the East. This move means the de facto expansion of the EU's borders to Baku in spite of Germany and Russia and the increase of Turkey's economic and political influence in the entirety of this geography.

When Merkel visited Istanbul to discuss the ever-growing refugee problem, it was already clear what the U.S. would and would not do in the economic and political arenas. The U.S. Federal Reserve is unlikely to launch an interest rate hike until the presidential elections. This politically implies that the EU will be alone with Russia in Iraq, Syria and North Africa.

Until recently, Merkel thought that Germany would cooperate with Russia like in the 19th century. However, she has now realized that it would be impossible to take any steps in the region irrespective of Turkey. This is because Russia's problems and concomitant strategy fall completely foul of the EU's interests. Considering all this, Turkey's membership in the EU has become more of an issue not only for the EU but also for Germany. On the other hand, why would Russia opt for Berlin, instead of establishing a connection between Saint Petersburg and Istanbul? Considering that the only alternative line to the SGC is the Turkish Stream that will pass through north Anatolia, why would Russia be engaged in a useless partnership with Germany where industrial profit rates constantly fall, industry strives to survive through illegality - as seen in the Volkswagen example - and the existing industrial technology gradually becomes obsolete compared to that of Asia. A new Crimean war will not emerge. In other words, unlike in the 19th century, the West will fail to set Russia and Turkey against each other and to share energy and marketplaces in spite of the two.

All of the existing projects about energy, commercial routes and markets show us these realities over and over again. Another integration step, which complements both Istanbul and the SGC, is a new railway line and highway network that starts with major projects such as the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway, connects to China's New Silk Road and reaches Europe through Turkey. Just like TANAP, this line not only connects three countries, but is also one of the basic commercial outlets and transport projects from Kazakh and Turkmen ports, as well as from Asia and Europe. Central Asia is connected to Turkey (Marmaray) through the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway through the Caspian region. This line, along with the SGC, which is the backbone of TANAP, connects Chinese ports to Europe through Turkey.

In this case, not only Germany but also Israel must take Turkey into consideration. Israel cannot survive in the Middle East as it currently is. It is a failed strategy to think that gas reserves and commercial outlets in the Levant can be driven away from Turkey's sphere of influence by bringing up the Cyprus issue once again. The project that transfers water from Turkey to Cyprus has shown this reality to the whole world on its own.

Consequently, Turkey-EU relations have entered a new period where Turkey, not the EU, is the decision-making party. The Turkish lira is gaining value, capital inflows and long-term investments into Turkey will increase after the Nov. 1 elections and we will see quite a stable trend in exchange and interest rates. As such, Turkey will be more determinative in the Middle East and Mediterranean. The West, particularly Germany, must attach importance to Turkey's stability and start top-level cooperation with Turkey to overcome its own crisis and to avoid political crises that are spreading from the Middle East. Turkey's full membership into the EU is the only way out for the EU; otherwise, it cannot survive and will be doomed to disintegration.