Butterfly Effect in Turkey-European Union Relations: Turkey’s Candidacy Process

Year 2020, Volume: 9 Issue: 3, 1942 - 1955, 21.07.2020

Ekrem Yaşar Akçay , İdris Turan

https://doi.org/10.33206/mjss.648805

Cited By: 1

Abstract

From the beginning up to now, Turkey – European Union
(EU) relations have been quite problematic. With the Ankara Agreement signed in
1963, the relations were set on a legal basis and continued within the
framework of this agreement. However, then-Prime Minister Turgut Özal applied
for full membership on April 14, 1987 before reaching the final chapter and the
EU-Turkey relations entered a new dimension. After the application for full
membership, the EU adopted a partnership model in its relations with Turkey
rather than full membership, arguing that it would be useful to sustain
relations with this model in the fields of Customs Union, technical area, trade
and industry. In this process, when the decision was taken at Agenda 2000 and
Luxemburg Summits to negotiate with the former Eastern Bloc countries, Turkey
could not even obtain candidacy status. However, Turkey suddenly gained the
status of candidate country with the Helsinki Summit held in 1999. Although the
capture of Abdullah Öcalan in Kenya embassy of Greece, the US pressures and
many other factors such as the 1999 earthquake are stated to be effective in
obtaining the candidacy status, the main factor was the correspondence between
Bülent Ecevit and Gerard Schröder. After obtaining the candidacy status, the
relations between the two parties considerably improved and negotiations
between the EU and Turkey started on October 3, 2005. In this vein, this study
is designed to elaborate on the EU-Turkey relations from the application for
full membership to the process of negotiations. The study is tackled by means
of the Butterfly Effect theory and it will be revealed that simple
correspondence has had a major role in the development of the relations between
the two sides.

Keywords

Turkey-European Union Relations, Foreignn Policy, Butterfly Effect, Candidacy Process, Negotiations

Türkiye-Avrupa Birliği İlişkilerinde Kelebek Etkisi: Türkiye’nin Adaylık Süreci

Abstract

Türkiye-Avrupa
Birliği (AB) ilişkileri başından sonuna kadar sorunlar yaşamıştır. 1963 yılında
imzalanan Ankara Anlaşması ile ilişkiler hukuki bir zemine oturmuş ve bu
anlaşma çerçevesinde ilişkiler devam etmiştir. Ancak 14 Nisan 1987’de dönemin
Başbakanı Turgut Özal, son aşamaya geçmenden tam üyelik başvurusunda bulunmuş
ve ilişkiler farklı bir boyuttan devam etmiştir. Tam üyelik başvurusundan sonra
AB, Türkiye ile ilişkilerinde tam üyelikten çok ortaklık ilişkisi üzerinden
devam etmiş ve Gümrük Birliği, teknik, ticari, sanayi alanlarında ilişkilerin
sürdürülmesinin daha faydalı olacağını söylemiştir. Bu süreçte Gündem 2000 ve
Lüksemburg Zirvelerinde Eski Doğu Bloku ülkeleri ile müzakerelere başlama
kararı alınırken Türkiye adaylık statüsünü bile alamamıştır. Ancak 1999’da
yapılan Helsinki Zirvesi ile Türkiye bir anda aday ülke statüsünü kazanmıştır.
Bu durumla ilgili olarak Abdullah Öcalan’ın Yunanistan’ın Kenya Büyükelçiliğinde
yakalanışı, ABD’nin baskıları, 1999 Depremi gibi birçok unsurun adaylık
statüsünün elde edilmesinde etkisi olduğu söylense de, esas unsur, Bülent
Ecevit ve Gerard Schröder arasındaki mektuplaşmalar olmuştur. Adaylık
statüsünden sonra da iki taraf arasındaki ilişkiler önemli ölçüde gelişmiş ve
Türkiye ile AB arasında 3 Ekim 2005’te müzakereler başlamıştır. Bu anlamda söz
konusu bu çalışma, tam üyelik başvurundan müzakere sürecine kadar Türkiye-AB
ilişkilerini ele alacaktır. Çalışma Kelebek Etkisi Yaklaşımı ile ele alınacak
ve basit bir mektuplaşmanın iki taraf arasındaki ilişkilerinde gelişmesinde
büyük rol oynadığı ileri sürülecektir.

Keywords

Türkiye-Avrupa Birliği İlişkileri, Dış Politika, Kelebek Etkisi, Adaylık Süreci, Müzakereler

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