Turkey will not be able to join the European Union until the community undergoes a major change in its political outlook, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday, accusing the EU of isolating Turkey on the basis of identity, religion and civilization.
Speaking in an interview with Sky News Arabia, Fidan said that despite the existence of common interests between Turkey and the EU, there is still a major obstacle preventing progress.
"As long as the European Union continues its political stance against Turkey, I do not believe Turkey will become a member of the EU," Fidan said, stressing that the impasse is based on attitudes and ideas rather than policy disagreements.
Identity politics come to Turkey's membership
Fidan has said that the EU's stance on Turkey is caused by what he called a "political identity perspective," which, in his opinion, makes it difficult to join despite meeting all the formal conditions.
Although Turkey has been officially advocating for the position for over twenty years, negotiations have been stalled due to human rights concerns, governance criteria, and regional conflicts.
According to the Foreign Minister, the impasse reflects a political and cultural stalemate, with the EU assessing Turkey through criteria that he said are fundamentally incompatible with true integration.
Criticizing some EU projects, Fidan has recognized the European Union's success in establishing an unusual system that goes beyond the jurisdiction of individual countries.
However, he has said that these achievements have failed to embrace the reality of civilizational differences.
"The EU was able to become an institution that rose above the national level, but it could not become an institution that transcends civilization," said Fidan, emphasizing that Turkey's isolation stems from a perception of religious and civilizational differences.
He described the issue as one of identity rather than unmet technical criteria, seeking to show that cultural boundaries, not policy shortcomings, are the basis for the postponement of Turkey's membership application.
The world order depends on the integration of civilizations.
In conclusion, Fidan linked the obstacle to Turkey's EU membership to major global challenges, arguing that the problems facing the world cannot be solved by isolationist methods. Instead, he called for inclusive models of cooperation that bring together different civilizations.
He suggested that the future of humanity depends on the ability of different civilizations to coexist under a common framework, indirectly citing criticism of how the EU, in his view, has failed to fulfill that idea in its relations with Turkey.