The Battle of Vienna took place in Vienna on 11-12 September 1683 after Vienna had been besieged by the Ottoman Empire for two months. The battle was fought by the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nations in league with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth against the invading Muslim Ottoman Empire and chiefdoms of the Ottoman Empire. (Wiki)
The battle marked the first time Poland and the Holy Roman Empire had cooperated militarily against the Turks, and it is often seen as a turning point in history, after which “the Ottoman Turks ceased to be a menace to the Christian world“. (Wiki)
The above springs to my mind when I hear and read that the Turks want EU membership in exchange for taking all new refugees except for some legitimate Syrian war refugees.
Perhaps the Turkish demand for EU membership is just a negotiating chip, and one they never even expect to get. Pressing hard on this membership may give something else which is the true target, and which would also be acceptable to the other party.
I suspect the Turkish demand for EU membership reflects the dire state of the Turkish economy following the increased Russian-Turkish hostilities. A Turkish EU membership would boost their economy immensely and would more than compensate for the decline of tourism from – and trade with – Russia. Please also see my 19 October 2015 blog on EU-Turkey (part 1), and my four November 2015 blogs on Russia-Turkey: part 1, 2, 3 and 4.
On 7 March 2016, William Hague – Britain’s Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2010 to 2014 – wrote an interesting article in the Telegraph in which he discusses a Turkish EU membership and its similarities with the UK. Actually, Mr Hague is even an advocate of a Turkish EU membership but not now given the current Turkish authoritarian leadership.
William Hague: “There is, of course, one massive problem to overcome. The EU does not have associate membership, and would be frightened to create it. But as the 21st-century develops it is increasingly clear that the future of Europe is two-tier: the Eurozone needs tighter integration if it is to survive, while other nations, including the UK if we vote to remain in, will be happier in an outer tier, opting into some things and out of others. A new form of membership for Turkey is simply an extension of that idea. It may have risks, but the risks of having no future, viable vision for Europe’s most vital flank are very great indeed”. (Telegraph)
The more I think of Mr Hague’s idea, the more I like it and for several reasons.
Chris Montez – The More I See You (1966) – artist, lyrics, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
The more I see you, the more I want you
Somehow this feeling just grows and grows
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