Turkey and Europe’s Difficult History

Once described as a ‘slow-motion car crash’, relations between Turkey – or Türkiye – and the rest of Europe have often been defined by suspicion and mistrust. Do historical grievances define the country’s relationship with Europe?

Sykes–Picot Agreement
Map showing the Sykes–Picot Agreement,  a 1916 secret treaty between the United Kingdom and France. British Library/Wiki Commons.

‘Six decades of integration cannot be undone, even by a strongman like Erdoğan’

Dimitar Bechev, Author of Turkey Under Erdoğan: How a Country Turned from Democracy and the West (Yale University Press, 2022)

To continue reading this article you need to purchase a subscription, available from only £5.

Start my trial subscription now

If you have already purchased access, or are a print & archive subscriber, please ensure you are logged in.

Please email digital@historytoday.com if you have any problems.