Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder: Like it or Not, Turkey is Dominant

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has lauded some obvious facts about Turkey in his latest book called Last Chance. Schröder says Turkey has become a superior power in the Eastern Mediterranean whether Europeans like it or not. The former chancellor has also touched upon Turkey’s 2-decade-long European Union membership uncertainty and called the negotiations with Ankara dishonest.

Schröder criticized the EU states for their actions in the context of Turkey-EU relations. “Those who have imposed the dozens of conditions as a prerequisite for visa-free travel, who is delaying substantial progress in the accession negotiations with the EU and also in updating customs agreements dating from the 1990s, do not really want Turkey in the EU,” said Schröder. However, Schröder says days of Turkish leaders frequenting Bonn or Berlin to search for prospects of the EU membership are long gone.

Former German Chancellor also warned European countries which hope Turkish foreign policies would go back to the old days after Erdogan era. “Ankara will continue to want to keep the “new position of power in the eastern Mediterranean, thinking otherwise is nothing but continuation of cold war mentality,” Schröder said.

In his book, Schröder also commented on developments in Syria. The civil war and the refugee crisis could not be resolved without Ankara, he reiterated. Former German chancellor even said Turkey plays an important role in Ukrainian conflict. Turkey has been more vocal than European countries in rejecting Russian invasion of Crimea. Ankara has also signed several agreements with Kiev in defense sector while working with Moscow in Syria and Caucasus.

Schröder also emphasizes the need for a new world order to analyze the development of numerous regional actors, in his book. “This applies to dealing with some difficult but not immediate actors in world politics such as China, Russia or Turkey. Anyone who treats them with the logic of the Cold War, as the West still does, are destined to fail,” he wrote.