Rarely has an „äh“ caused that much of attention. And the fact that this had to do with a chair and a sofa, makes that affair even more bizarre.
Despide her wondering concerning the turkish interpretation of the diplomatic protocol, Ursula von der Leyen gave an eloquent description of todays relation between Turkey and the European Union. It is under a condition of an deadlock for quite a while now, and there is no convergence in sight.
The coreproblem lies overall lies in the wrong interpretation of this relation. While the officiel status of Turkey is that of a pre-accession country for the EU, it should be clear to all involved parties that this will never happen. The turkish orientation towards the East as well as the inner divisions in the Union will make this impossible in the long run. Also, the neo-osmanic foreign policy under Erdogan stands in the way.
It shouldn´t be forgotten that after all, both parties desperatly need each other. For Turkey, the states of the European Union are the most importand trading-partners, in import as well as in export, as this counts particulary for products in the technological sector. The Union on its side can´t have any interest in bad relations with the country that effectively controls the Bosporus. The ongoing refugee-crisis exemplafies this fact.
The relation between the two powers should be based on real existing conditions, not on the prospect of an turkish accession at some point in the distant future.
Simon Dierich 