“Frustration, mistrust and disappointment” - Turkey’s strained ties with Europe - Main contents

Turkey’s elections on June 7th will be a key test of the country’s democracy and its bid to join the EU. A crackdown on dissent has worried Brussels. The EU’s progress report on Turkey’s reforms notes improvements but accuses Turkey’s government of undermining human rights and press freedoms.

Accession talks have been slow-go. Can the EU remain ambiguous about membership and expect Turkey to reform? How can elections change EU/Turkish relations? And how important is Turkey to the EU and the region as a stabilising force and byway for the pipelines.

To examine some of this questions, the network host Chris Burns is joined by Selim Yenel, Turkey’s ambassador to the EU, who said in a recent interview that the Turkish-EU relationship is beset with mistrust, frustration, disillusionment and disappointment.

Also on the panel is Kati Piri, Dutch socialist member of the European Parliament’s foreign affairs committee and rapporteur of the parliament’s resolution on the latest progress report on Turkey. Completing the panel is Amanda Paul, senior policy analyst at the European Policy Centre and an expert on Turkish foreign and domestic policy.

Watch the video here:

“Frustration, mistrust and disappointment” - Turkey’s strained ties with Europe