Volkan BozkÄ

The year 2014 could be summarized as the year of elections for Turkey that resulted in the overall change in the political system with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan becoming the first president elected through popular vote, while Ahmet Davutoğlu took over the chairmanship of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the Prime Ministry.

The photo featured happy faces – Turkish and European. Last week, three EU bigwigs were in Ankara: Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign affairs chief; Johannes Hahn, a chief enlargement official; and Christos Stylianides, commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management.

Turkey has been under criticism for some time for becoming too involved in Middle Eastern affairs, thus distancing itself from the European Union and generally the Western world.

Ankara has called on the EU to “make visible” the dialogue between Ankara and Brussels, by inviting Turkish leaders to EU meetings and taking them into EU family photographs.

Turkey’s EU Ministry has promoted yet another tool aimed at facilitating redoubled efforts to accede to the 28-nation union, undertaking what it says will provide "fresh air" for its citizens.

Danish politicians have reacted furiously to the Turkish EU minister’s remarks criticizing Denmark’s decision to report Turkey to the EU due to an ongoing row over the release of a Danish writer’s suspected shooter.

Analyses predicting that the civil war in Syria will not end easily and quickly, and may not even end at all, started coming in the summer of 2013. 

I have written several times in this column that, in the aftermath of the Gezi Park protests, the only way out for Turkey was to prioritize democratization and the building of a pluralist society.

The European Parliament has condemned Turkey’s “maritime survey” activities in a resolution approved on Nov. 13, saying they encroach on Greek Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone and “its sovereign right to explore the natural resources within it.” The text also called on Turkey to stop its “provocative actions” and “threats” against Greek Cyprus.

A statement issued by Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkır last week that said Turkey might freeze its Customs Union deal with the European Union if the planned Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) does not include Turkey was quite important, showing the government’s determination toward this end.

Turkey’s EU Minister Volkan Bozkır has admitted failures in "correcting misperceptions" in European countries about Turkey, but vowed that the government would continue to strive to boost Turkey’s image and increase the amount of high-level visits to Brussels.