EU reforms becoming anti-democratic tools at the hands of AKP

Turkey’s first quarter data has surprised Turkey’s director for the World Bank.

“We did not expect growth to maintain such momentum and we were encouraged by the strong performance of net exports,” Martin Raiser told me in the interview we had recently.

“What does it tell us about Turkey?” I asked him. “It reminds us that Turkey is a part of Europe economically and as Europe recovers, Turkey does as well,” he answered.

When Europe is not doing so well, we tend to forget how important it is for Turkey that Europe is doing well, he went on to say.

I could not agree more. Some ministers mocked Europe’s poor performance when Turkey’s economic ship was filled with winds from other markets, such as the Middle East. That was when Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) was enjoying a honeymoon-like relationship with the Arab world.

It is no longer the case; the winds blowing from the Middle East have stopped and economically, Europe could be a life saver.

No one would argue that we should be totally dependent on Europe. Diversification is a must. But as I was reminded by a foreign diplomat, Turkey sells nothing to the emerging markets in the Far East, and the Middle East is in a deep crisis affecting our trade routes. That should teach us a lesson on refraining from hubris in our relations with Europe.

Being anchored to Europe is important not only economically, but politically as well; especially now that Turkey’s checks and balances system; and the institutions that secure that system are in jeopardy if Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were to be elected president.

“When there is prolonged one-man rule, this often...