Whats so European about Turkey that people think it should be added as part of Europe?

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Mirdit Qullafka

If a state as Greece become a EU member state, why should not Turkey?

♥Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ♥

Turkey is a country that can be considered in too different ways...when you actually take a close look at it, it is a mixture of middle eastern culture and western culture. the west side of Turkey is just like the European countries, while the east side of Turkey is more middle eastern...

hanibal

It will be difficult for Turks to behave like an European. First we must learn to steal resources from Africa , India est. .. than we had to make 2 world war and kill 150 billion .

We are not out of Europe you are out of Turkey for humanity...

Only Turkeys 23.000 km 2 is at European side . This area is bigger than some'' European '' countries....

Çetin

hi,
while Türkiye is an Eurasian country same as Russia therefore we are part of Asia and Europe,too.

İlayda E

what makes you think like that? You are generalizing. I think that the European Union causes a kind of discrimination. But whatever, we don't think that we are Europeans; we just want to make it easier to take visa, and to increase some specific standards in our country. Unfortunately some Turkish people imitate Europeans, and they forget their own identities and origins

Χριστόφορος

What about Turkey should make it unable to join the E.U. if it meets all the other criteria?

Should Turkey be banned because Turkish isn't an Indo-European language? If that's the case, then Finland, Estonia, and Hungary shouldn't be E.U. countries. Or should they be banned because most Turks are nominally Muslim (although Turkey is officially a secular state, mind you)? It would be awfully hypocritical for the E.U., which proclaims religious freedom for all, to ban those countries which aren't Christian. And France has a huge Muslim population, but nobody talks about kicking France out of the E.U. for it.

Yes, the greater part of Turkey is in the Near East, but a decent chunk of it is in Europe as well. As another answerer mentioned, the European part of Turkey is larger than several E.U. members. If Ukraine were ever to join the E.U., it's Eastern-most border is at near the same longitude as the Eastern-most border of Turkey - nobody would consider disallowing Ukraine for it being so "East". And don't forget that up until the early part of last century, Greeks had been inhabiting parts of Turkey for millennia.

When I was in Istanbul a couple years ago, I remember thinking to myself that Istanbul looks and feels more European than many European cities!

Turkey may have a different culture than the majority of the E.U. members, but then again, its culture is similar to Greek culture in many aspects, and Greece didn't have any problems being admitted. Really, the difference in culture between Portugal and Lithuania is probably just as large as between Sweden and Turkey, for example.

Those who oppose Turkey's gaining membership into the E.U. are simply afraid of the rest of Europe being "overrun" by Muslim Turks. What is more likely to happen, however, is that Europeans will be running to Turkey to buy up cheap land for summer homes and retirement villas.

The reality is that both parties, Europe and Turkey, mutually benefit a great deal by uniting. I personally much rather prefer Turkey joining with Europe than with the other Near and Middle Eastern countries. And indeed, I think that if Turkey was allowed into the E.U., Turkey would slowly become more and more integrated into the European style and way of thinking. Eventually, people would ask, who ever thought of Turkey as not being European.

Haifa

Absolutely nothing!
turkey was a part of mongolia.

snm87

For some hundreds of years ago, even Spain wasnt European. What is Euopean for you? IS it Christianity? EU considers even Kazakhstan to be a EU member, so EU doesnt mean Europe, as well as European culture has nothing to do with EU, which is only an economic coorperation. Therefore Turkeys or other countries membership in EU, is of course only economic gain. DID you think that BUlgaria or Spain LOVE the European ,culture or the way of life therefore they join EU? Every country think of it self as the best and the most special, and dont want to be compared with others, so even Europe is not so united as you think. On the other hand, I dont believe in Europe as a real continent, because as you see it is tightly connected to Asia, I consider it more like a geographic area with common ROman and Christian past..

Tanju

Hi,

In July 1959, shortly after the creation of the European Economic Community in 1958, Turkey made its first application to join. The EEC's response to Turkey's application in 1959 was to suggest the establishment of an association until Turkey's circumstances permitted its accession.

The ensuing negotiations resulted in the signature of the Agreement Creating An Association Between The Republic of Turkey and the European Economic Community (the "Ankara Agreement") on 12 September 1963. This agreement, which entered into force on 1 December 1964, aimed at securing Turkey's full membership in the EEC through the establishment in three phases of a customs union which would serve as an instrument to bring about integration between the EEC and Turkey.

turka

nobody wants turkey in the European Union,turkey has been an applicant for more than 30 years,but now is a supplicant

Dmn serious

Turkish culture is much more Middle Eastern than European. Only 3% of Turkey is in European continent.
There isn't anything European in this country apart from the churches, most of them destroyed till 1922.
Turks left a few of them for touristic purposes.

Oekaki

"Europe" is an abstract concept with vague and varying definitions.

"European Union", on the other hand, is a very concrete economic and political organization.

Turkey has no intention of joining the first one, whatever that may mean. She has the intention of joining the latter one (for now), because she expects to benefit from it. If the EU thinks they will benefit from it, too, then it will happen. If not, then not. This is not an issue to be settled by shallow and chauvinistic thinking. Unfortunately, there seems to be too much of that going on both in Turkey and in Europe.

Tao Lee te ching

Believe it or not Turkey is an amazing country.Some part of the country is very modernized you can't believe in your eyes when you see the HUGE shopping malls that using the latest technology.Trust me I haven't seen one like that in Europe.Also did you know that there is a huge immigration from Europe to Turkey? especially to southern part of the country? I think you should go and see it with your own eyes what I'm talking about.

DON'T VOTE BNP

Turkey is transcontinental, so part of it is in Europe.

Keyser

Go find out yourself.Judging by your last rude answer i suggest you go elsewhere.

shortbreadtin

Location

sesso

There is nothing European about those little people in Turkey.

xanthochroi

well, here is a story about me i've met this girl about one year ago who was from Romania after i said i was a turk from balkans she hesitated and told me that we're more similar than you think she explained me some similar traditions and foods i've realized that it's more than a Croissant or turkish coffee maybe eastern europe should be added as a part of Turkey

Son of a B

Nothing European at all. Turkey should not be added as a part of Europe. They have more in common with Arabs, Iranians, Syrians, Egyptians. Imagine Iranians and Egyptians as E.U candidates.

Xabier

I don't think it is... but some of Turkey is on the European contient...

But they want to be added to the E.U for the money, the free trade (no international taxes) and it will make it easier for E.U members to visit live and buy homes there

jimthecelt

I think that you are probably an anti-Turkish bigot!
Turkey is a VERY European country, more European than Middle-Eastern, and a perfect synthesis of several cultures, probably the most ethically mixed society on Earth, even more than America. It's government is a dictatorship and there have been genocides, but it's culture at the "street level" is very tolerant and absorptive.

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