Europe is in dispute as to whether to invite Erdogan to Prague 02.09.2022

 Europe is in dispute as to whether to invite Erdogan to Prague 02.09.2022 www.seznamzpravy.cz

 Tereza Šídlová 

The preparation for the October summit in the Czech Republic under the Czech presidency has stalled over the question of Türkiye's participation. The European Council may be the biggest diplomatic event that Prague has hosted so far. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Prague last week discussed the war in Ukraine and its impact on the energy prices and wallets of Europeans. However, behind the scenes of this high-level visit, one delicate issue was also discreetly discussed: who to invite or not to invite to the EU summit in Prague in early October. In particular, the participation of Turkish President Recep Erdogan was to be discussed.

 Twenty-seven EU heads of state and government will come to the Czech capital for the presidential summit. This is the 'standard' when the European Council meets. At the same time, however, a new European community is to be established here, which could raise VIP participation to up to forty leaders of the old continent. The longstanding and well-known effort of Prague is to bring the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in person. This is an example of how the Czech Republic, as the EU's presiding country, is currently “playing the game”. Because of the negotiations of the participants of the new forum, Prague found itself in the middle of a dispute of leading European countries over Türkiye.

 Ankara is an important player in matters surrounding the war in Ukraine, trying to act as an intermediary. At the same time, however, it has tense relations with a number of EU countries, including the “author/father” of the idea of a new European political community that is to be born in Prague – French President Emanuel Macron. There must be consensus Although there is only a month left before the Prague summit, according to the current calendar, the agenda of the summit and its “shape” are still being created. “First we will discuss everything with others and then we will act. Doing it differently would be rude and tactless,” said Tomas Pojar, advisor to Prime Minister Petr Fiala (ODS), who also acts as his EU “sherpa” – that is, he negotiates key European summits for the Czech government.

According to diplomatic sources, it is the Czech government, as the EU's presiding country, that is inclined to the opinion that Türkiye should be invited to the forum. The prime minister is said to have mentioned it at the annual meeting of Czech ambassadors in Prague at the end of August. "However, Türkiye is a problem for many EU countries, and this is the reason for discussions and the delay," said a high-ranking Czech diplomatic source, who, however, wanted to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the debate and diplomatic habits. "There must be a consensus across the EU and that is difficult," he added. French President Macron came up with the idea of a new platform that would intensify the EU-27's communication with non-EU European countries, especially on security issues, in the spring in connection with the war in Ukraine and the changes it brought to the EU. 

At the beginning of last week, Macron confirmed what had already been agreed before the holiday in Brussels – the inaugural meeting of this new group will take place in Prague in the context of the EU presidential summit, i.e. the meeting of the European Council. "We would be beneficial for the EU" The Turkish ambassador to the Czech Republic, Egemen Bagis, who was Erdogan's Minister for European Affairs ten years ago, pointed out with disapproval that candidate countries such as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia had already been invited to a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Prague last week. Türkiye was not among them – it has been an EU candidate country since 1999, but negotiations are still on hold. "

All EU candidate countries, not just Türkiye, should be invited to at least some parts of the European summits in order to ensure cooperation and create opportunities in the name of common interests, as has happened in the past. This is my humble opinion, but I think that the participation of Türkiye, which is the country with the greatest diplomatic activity between Ukraine and Russia in order to achieve a ceasefire, would be more beneficial for the EU than for Türkiye," he said to Seznam Zpravy. According to the Ambassador, the invitation to Prague to the summit in Ankara has not yet arrived. He does not deny the interest in participating. "If we received it, we would naturally consider it based on the level of representation and the circumstances," the Turkish Ambassador added. 

For example, in the summer, Ankara, together with the UN, brokered a major agreement between Russia and Ukraine on the export of grain from Ukrainian Black Sea ports. It was blocked due to Russian aggression, and the interruption of supplies from Ukraine threatened mainly developing countries. Erdogan visited Ukraine in August and literally said that his country was in conflict with Russia for Ukraine. At the same time, he maintains contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

 Disputes with Macron With the EU, Türkiye has strained relations, which have been improving in recent years. Although the country played a key role in solving the refugee crisis in 2016, the European Parliament, in particular, opposed rapprochement with Türkiye – it mainly criticises the human rights situation in the country. Türkiye has traditionally had tense relations with Cyprus and Greece. 

Erdogan is also getting into disputes with French President Emmanuel Macron. And precisely because of Ukraine. Speaking to his ambassadors on September 1, Macron defended his policy of calling the Kremlin, for which he is often criticized. "Who wants Türkiye to be the only world power that talks to Russia? We must not give in to any form of moralisation aimed at weakening us," said Macron to Politico, according to the Brussels website. His idea of a broader forum to be established in Prague has the support of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "We will discuss key topics for our continent across the board - security, energy, climate and connectivity – once or twice a year in this new forum," said Scholz, quoted by AFP. It is the German Chancellor who could be a counterbalance for France's rejection of Türkiye's participation. The French Embassy in Prague did not respond to the question of Seznam Zpravy regarding the format of the Prague Summit and France's position on the invitation of Türkiye. 

The Prague summit will be the highlight of the Czech Presidency of the European Union, which runs for six months – from July to December. During it, the Czech Republic significantly moderates the debates within the EU. Traditionally, at least one meeting of the European Council, i.e. a meeting of the leaders of the 27 at the highest level, whether formal or informal, always takes place in the country holding the presidency. In the Czech Republic, it is to be held at Prague Castle. This plan is a legacy left by the government of Andrej Babis to the government of Fiala. In 2009, when the Czech Republic had its first presidency, the summit took place in the Congress Centre. For the outgoing President Zeman, the European super-action is a unique opportunity to “say goodbye to” international politics. And this is despite the fact that, due to his diplomatic orientation towards the East, he maintained minimal relations with Western leaders for most of his two presidential mandates.