Erdogan Eyes Europe

DW-RADIO: Mr. Polenz, how do you feel about the upcoming parliamentary elections in Turkey as a seasoned politician?

Ruprecht Polenz: Well, it's an early election, which was caused by a constitutional crisis. Polls predict a new victory of the governing AK party, but the parliament's composition is the issue that's really suspenseful: Will it still be made up of two factions that get beyond the 10-percent hurdle or will the nationalistic MHP also manage to get in? I think that's the real question and I'm somewhat worried when it comes to the latter party.

Premier Erdogan has said that he will bid farewell to politics if he doesn't win the election. What do you think about this statement?

It's a sign of great confidence, because Erdogan wants to do everything except bid farewell to politics. He's certain that he'll remain, because he counts on winning the election.

As the chairman of the foreign affairs committee in parliament, you're dealing with Turkey a lot and you're an expert on Turkey. Does Turkey still have a chance to move towards Europe, especially considering that the reforms have virtually come to a standstill?

I think that also depends a bit on the internal difficulties during the pre-election campaign. I hope that Turkish voters will bring about a straightforward situation in parliament. Turkey definitely needs a government that's capable of acting and is backed by a large majority in parliament. It's written nowhere that the reform process cannot continue. People just have to want it. I'm convinced that Erdogan wants to continue on the way to Europe. He has to overcome resistance. Opinion polls in Turkey have become skeptical. Maybe there's also more skepticism in his own party that he has to deal with, but I think that he's right to connect the economic upswing Turkey has experienced under his government with the route to Europe. It's certainly the right conclusion to draw.

Germany and several other states have concerns when it comes to full EU membership for Turkey. Do you think that Turkey could be convinced to accept a privileged partnership after all?

I don't think that's a question that needs to be answered today or tomorrow. The EU has made a clear decision to initiate accession negotiations. It was noted, however, that the outcome cannot be predicted. The negotiations are happening with an open end, but with the goal of membership. It's clear that full membership requires Turkey to fulfill all criteria not only on paper but also in practice. We know that there's still a long way to go in some respects. On the other hand, we've seen in the case of the Cyprus question that Turkey struggles with this. You cannot join a club if you don't recognize a club member. These are questions that Turkey needs to face in the coming years. But they can be solved in principle.

Baha Güngör, the head of DW-RADIO's Turkish service, interviewed Ruprecht Polenz (win)