Turkey Stands Firm on Full Membership to EU

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is once again pushing the "privileged partnership" between Turkey and the European Union, in lieu of full membership, but Turkey is standing firm.

Merkel says that if Turkey accepts the privileged partnership, that 28 of the 35 chapters could be closed in the negotiations for Turkey's full membership, currently only 14 have been opened and only 1 closed.

"What Merkel thinks about Turkey's EU accession is not new for us. But our stance is also quite clear and well known. Turkey is considering no option except full membership," said Turkish Foreign Ministry Spokesman Burak özügergin.

One can't blame Turkey for standing firm against the privileged partnership. Though it is put forward as a stop-gap for full membership, it would likely just become a stop; with that framework in place negotiations regarding full membership would be likely to lose all momentum. Turkey is pursuing the right strategy in this respect; making itself an integral part of the Middle East, while maintaining its ties with the west, should eventually make Turkey's influence in the vital-oil region a massive pressure on the EU to accept the country into the fold.

According to Julian Walker, director of Spot Blue, Turkey has almost outgrown the point where EU membership is a necessity, meaning it has nothing to lose and can afford to hold out for full membership, he said:

"Turkey is one of the world's fastest growing economies without EU membership, and is also growing into a global influencer in its own right. Therefore EU accession is no longer a necessity for Turkey's future growth. However, the growth it would bring to the economy and sectors including tourism is too much to simply throw away, so the Turkish government is making the most of its position to get EU membership on their terms."

Spot Blue is currently marketing property in Turkey priced from as little as £25,000.

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