The EU-Turkey Relations in the Context of the Middle East Crisis

Increased number of terrorist attacks and unprecedentedly rising levels of migration are among the major challenges that are facing the world today. Most of the migrants find way to move to the EU countries through Turkey, which shares borders with the most refugee producing countries, including Syria. The current research examined the past and current state of relationship of Turkey and the EU on the backdrop of the Middle East crisis to see how the situation has influenced the roles in this relationship. The hypothesis of the research was that because of the Middle East crisis, the European countries became more vulnerable to terror attacks and other social-humanitarian challenges, forcing the EU to reconsider its relations with Turkey to mitigate potential security threats and thus increasing the role of Turkey and its negotiating powers. It has been partially confirmed, but it was also shown that both sides have developed new relations based on their national interest and security considerations. The Middle East crisis has prompted Turkey to pursue its independent policy in the national interest, including increased fight against Kurdish independence, and in many respect to come to disagreement with European partners. On the side, the inflow of Muslim refugees and migrants have increased fears related to different cultures and have actually decreased the probability that Europeans would welcome integration of Turkey. The complexity of the relations in the EU-Turkey-Middle East triangle needs to be further studied and analyzed as it can greatly influence the prospects of the region’s and global security. Key words: Turkey, EU, Syria, Middle East