Turkey should have played the US-EU trade card
When migrants from Syria started knocking at the doors of Europe, European Union countries were panic stricken. They did not want the Syrians or any other migrants and felt that Turkey held the key to halt the exodus. So they were eager to sign a deal with Ankara that would effectively keep the Syrians in Turkey and halt their flow to the EU zone.
Turkey bargained a deal, which also included new steps toward full membership, lifting of visa requirements for Turks in the Schengen region and about $6 billion worth of grants over an extended period that would enhance the living conditions of 3 million Syrians in Turkey. In return, Turkey would receive back the illegal migrants who managed to flee to the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. EU countries would then accept an equal amount of Syrians from the camps in Turkey.
A close look at this deal showed clearly that Turkey was accepting the burden of all the Syrian migrants in return for so-called concessions that in actual fact were not concessions.
Turkey already embraced 3 million Syrians as it felt this was the Islamic, humane and neighborly thing to do. It has spent $10 billion on these people up to now from taxpayer's money and did not complain, so it did not need any help or favors from the EU to do what it considered right. Receiving such a huge number of migrants, spending so much money on them and also maintaining social peace in the country made Turkey an unprecedented example on the world map.
When Turkey accepted the 3 billion plus 3 million euro grants from the EU for the Syrians this was to further enhance their living conditions, which are already very decent according to international visitors and observers. However, this money will not be released as hard cash but it will be given in the form of project funds, which means the money will only come over an extended period provided projects are implemented.
When it comes to the visa question, the EU wasn't actually doing Turks any favors. Turks already won the right to enter the Schengen zone without visas but the EU never applied this. So what is being presented to us as a concession is in fact not a concession or a favor but it is what the EU promised and did not act upon.
Regarding opening new chapters toward full membership, the move is just an empty gesture as the accession talks seem to be an endless process designed to put the Turks to sleep. No one really intends to open chapters and successfully conclude them.
So wasn't the government aware of all this when it was bargaining a deal with the EU that was pushed into a tight corner because of the migrants issue?
Shouldn't we have pushed for real concessions or even meaningful gains from such a bargaining process?
Turkey is facing a disaster when the EU and the U.S. carry out their free trade agreement. Turkey will not benefit from this deal as it is not an EU member and on the contrary will face serious losses as Americans products will be able to flood the Turkish market while our goods will be sold to the U.S. with high tariffs. Our customs union agreement with the EU is already working against Turkey and the EU-U.S. free trade accord will further add to our woes.
The EU says Turkey should sign a separate free trade agreement with the U.S. to prevent the inevitable losses but Washington does not want such a deal. They say we should strike a deal with the EU but Brussels is also dragging its feet. So wasn't the migrants problem an ideal opportunity to force the EU to find a way to include Turkey in the EU-U.S. deal? Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu should tell us if there is something that we do not know.
Turkey bargained a deal, which also included new steps toward full membership, lifting of visa requirements for Turks in the Schengen region and about $6 billion worth of grants over an extended period that would enhance the living conditions of 3 million Syrians in Turkey. In return, Turkey would receive back the illegal migrants who managed to flee to the Greek islands in the Aegean Sea. EU countries would then accept an equal amount of Syrians from the camps in Turkey.
A close look at this deal showed clearly that Turkey was accepting the burden of all the Syrian migrants in return for so-called concessions that in actual fact were not concessions.
Turkey already embraced 3 million Syrians as it felt this was the Islamic, humane and neighborly thing to do. It has spent $10 billion on these people up to now from taxpayer's money and did not complain, so it did not need any help or favors from the EU to do what it considered right. Receiving such a huge number of migrants, spending so much money on them and also maintaining social peace in the country made Turkey an unprecedented example on the world map.
When Turkey accepted the 3 billion plus 3 million euro grants from the EU for the Syrians this was to further enhance their living conditions, which are already very decent according to international visitors and observers. However, this money will not be released as hard cash but it will be given in the form of project funds, which means the money will only come over an extended period provided projects are implemented.
When it comes to the visa question, the EU wasn't actually doing Turks any favors. Turks already won the right to enter the Schengen zone without visas but the EU never applied this. So what is being presented to us as a concession is in fact not a concession or a favor but it is what the EU promised and did not act upon.
Regarding opening new chapters toward full membership, the move is just an empty gesture as the accession talks seem to be an endless process designed to put the Turks to sleep. No one really intends to open chapters and successfully conclude them.
So wasn't the government aware of all this when it was bargaining a deal with the EU that was pushed into a tight corner because of the migrants issue?
Shouldn't we have pushed for real concessions or even meaningful gains from such a bargaining process?
Turkey is facing a disaster when the EU and the U.S. carry out their free trade agreement. Turkey will not benefit from this deal as it is not an EU member and on the contrary will face serious losses as Americans products will be able to flood the Turkish market while our goods will be sold to the U.S. with high tariffs. Our customs union agreement with the EU is already working against Turkey and the EU-U.S. free trade accord will further add to our woes.
The EU says Turkey should sign a separate free trade agreement with the U.S. to prevent the inevitable losses but Washington does not want such a deal. They say we should strike a deal with the EU but Brussels is also dragging its feet. So wasn't the migrants problem an ideal opportunity to force the EU to find a way to include Turkey in the EU-U.S. deal? Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu should tell us if there is something that we do not know.