The sanctions, embargoes and faulty policies imposed by the U.S. have led other countries, particularly EU countries, to reevaluate their ties with the U.S. and problematize their dependence on the country, which is a positive development. The interests of the U.S. are causing major problems not only for Russia and China, but for the EU as well. During his Denmark visit earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron underscored the same point. Stating that the world is currently at a crossroads, Macron argued that large countries and companies will make the decisions instead of them if they do not issue necessary decisions to give new momentum to Europe.
The EU is now at the onset of a new period in which relations with the U.S. will be evaluated through the same lens as relations with Russia and China. For instance, the U.S. decision to re-impose an embargo on Iran is an unacceptable policy for the EU. The EU countries have finally realized that trade relations with countries like Iran are required to be organized by excluding the U.S. currency and the U.S.-run banking system. This search must be brought to agenda for trade relations with China and Russia also.
In that sense, it will be reasonable to look for new alternatives for strong economic ties between Turkey and the EU. The U.S. dominion, and possible blackmailing or oppressing attempts by the country, must be restricted and rendered ineffective. Of course, this will be a highly demanding and arduous process. However, such a step has to be taken to initiate the new process.
As a matter of fact, we should thank U.S. President Donald Trump for waking the world up to these cold facts.
Turkey's successful and well-planned resistance to the U.S. attack on the Turkish economy has to be analyzed correctly by the EU. And we can see from the increasing contacts between Turkey-France and Turkey-Germany that this is the recent case.
As of September, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will have a busy schedule of foreign policy contacts and will pay visits to various countries. Between September 1 and 3, he will be in Kyrgyzstan. In the state capital Bishkek, Erdoğan will meet his Kyrgyz counterpart Sooronbay Jeenbekov and negotiate steps to be taken to achieve a trade volume of $1 billion between the two countries. Then, on September 7, he will meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a critical summit to be held in Iran. During the meeting, the latest developments in Syria, especially Idlib, will be discussed.
Erdoğan's most critical trip will be to the U.S. during September. He will head to New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly. This visit is of vital importance since it is taking place right after the rift between Turkey and the U.S. It is estimated that the political and economic crisis between the two countries will be handled in the U.N. and Erdoğan will meet many leaders in the meantime. As part of Erdoğan's U.N. meetings, Erdoğan is expected to inform world leaders on the reckless implementations of the U.S. that disregard international law.
Last but not least, Erdoğan will be in Berlin on September 28 and 29 upon the invitation of the German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. During the visit, steps to be taken towards normalizing the relations between the countries will be discussed.
It is of critical significance to resolve the problems between Turkey and Germany and normalize relations. Bettering the relations between countries is also important for Turkey-EU relations. Turkey is following a constructivist policy in this regard as the meetings scheduled for September demonstrate.
Furthermore, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas will be in Ankara on September 5 and 6 to discuss a number of important topics with his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu. Then, Turkish and German Finance Ministers Berat Albayrak and Olaf Scholz will meet in Berlin on September 21, just before Erdoğan's Germany visit. Albayrak had a fruitful meeting with his French counterpart. Erdoğan endeavors to explain how Turkey has been coping with the problem with the U.S. and to focus on talking about future cooperation thanks to the meetings run by Çavuşoğlu and Albayrak.
Turkey, it can be said, has a leadership role in complying with the new global order when compared to other countries. So, the EU has to adopt a more constructive approach in terms of relations with Turkey and Turkey's EU membership.
In this respect, Turkey-Germany relations play a crucial role and we are hopeful about the meetings in September.