Angela Merkel's offer to Turkey: EU membership in exchange for solving the migrant crisis

Is Angela Merkel getting smarter with every move, or is she just playing a really long game...?
When Erdogan basically held Europe hostage, telling them he’d stop the migrant "invasion" only if they gave him instant EU membership without all the usual waiting...

If Brussels wants his co-operation, nothing less than full EU membership will do, the president said, adding that the offer did not appear to be “sincere”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...rant-plan.html

Now Angela Merkel is offering Turkey membership to stop the migrants. I don't see how that helps at all. How does that actually stop people from coming? What happens if Bulgaria and Greece have to tear down their border fences with Turkey? How exactly does her idea of full membership—including Schengen—stop migrants from heading toward the West 🤷

Does Angela Merkel even care about Europe anymore, or is she actively trying to dismantle everything we've built? Or maybe she's just trying to save us... who knows...

Betty Ross6 said:Is Angela Merkel getting smarter with every move, or is she just playing a really long game...?
When Erdogan basically held Europe hostage, telling them he’d stop the migrant "invasion" only if they gave him instant EU membership without all the usual waiting...

If Brussels wants his co-operation, nothing less than full EU membership will do, the president said, adding that the offer did not appear to be “sincere”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...rant-plan.html

Now Angela Merkel is offering Turkey membership to stop the migrants. I don't see how that helps at all. How does that actually stop people from coming? What happens if Bulgaria and Greece have to tear down their border fences with Turkey? How exactly does her idea of full membership—including Schengen—stop migrants from heading toward the West 🤷

Does Angela Merkel even care about Europe anymore, or is she actively trying to dismantle everything we've built? Or maybe she's just trying to save us... who knows...

She serves the interests of the European Union—an entity designed to leave us all mindless, zombie-like, and utterly enslaved.

Betty Ross6 said:Is Angela Merkel getting smarter with every move, or is she just playing a really long game...?
When Erdogan basically held Europe hostage, telling them he’d stop the migrant "invasion" only if they gave him instant EU membership without all the usual waiting...

If Brussels wants his co-operation, nothing less than full EU membership will do, the president said, adding that the offer did not appear to be “sincere”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...rant-plan.html

Now Angela Merkel is offering Turkey membership to stop the migrants. I don't see how that helps at all. How does that actually stop people from coming? What happens if Bulgaria and Greece have to tear down their border fences with Turkey? How exactly does her idea of full membership—including Schengen—stop migrants from heading toward the West 🤷

Does Angela Merkel even care about Europe anymore, or is she actively trying to dismantle everything we've built? Or maybe she's just trying to save us... who knows...

Brilliant plan!😁 As an EU member, Turkey could basically export refugees along with their own citizens to any country in the union.

It’s all a bit pointless, really. If they can just be stopped right at the borders in Greece and Bulgaria, there's no reason for Turkey to be sending them over if they aren't going to get through anyway.

Angela Merkel didn't offer anyone EU membership today, nor does she even have the power to...

If Turkey wants that European Union membership, they should just grant everyone asylum and permanent residency. Once they have that, they can wander all over Europe. Obviously, they aren't going to stick around in Turkey.😛
Turkish citizens don't exactly face hurdles when it comes to moving wherever they please, either. Our local flowers are more than happy to welcome them.😠

Sam Alvarez4 said:Angela Merkel didn't offer anyone EU membership today, nor does she even have the power to...

Exactly.

Angela Merkel’s got this sneaky little master plan to stop the refugee flood hitting the European Union by just absorbing every transit country into the fold: first Turkey, then Greece, North Mexico, Mexico, and America (now I get why they were bypassing Canada).
Once she pulls Libya into the mix, the job's done. No more refugees trekking through backroads toward the European Union, because technically, they'll already be inside the club.
It's that classic "simple solution" genius at work.

Sam Alvarez4 said:Angela Merkel didn't offer anyone EU membership today, nor does she even have the power to...

She didn't offer an express pass to the European Union (not like the big shots in Turkey were hoping), but this is what happened

At a press conference in Istanbul held alongside Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Angela Merkel mentioned that Germany might help speed up the process for visa-free travel for Turks and "push" Ankara's negotiations for European Union membership forward, according to Reuters.

nimblepuma69 said:Angela Merkel’s got this sneaky little master plan to stop the refugee flood hitting the European Union by just absorbing every transit country into the fold: first Turkey, then Greece, North Mexico, Mexico, and America (now I get why they were bypassing Canada).
Once she pulls Libya into the mix, the job's done. No more refugees trekking through backroads toward the European Union, because technically, they'll already be inside the club.
It's that classic "simple solution" genius at work.

The poll doesn't even offer an option, but if I had my way, I'd say we should just fast-track Greece's entry into the union and call it a day.😁

Betty Ross6 said:She didn't offer an express pass to the European Union (not like the big shots in Turkey were hoping), but this is what happened

At a press conference in Istanbul held alongside Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Angela Merkel mentioned that Germany might help speed up the process for visa-free travel for Turks and "push" Ankara's negotiations for European Union membership forward, according to Reuters.

Germany can only really help through financial aid and lobbying to open specific chapters, nothing more.
Membership is a completely different matter, and all members get a vote on that...

Opening a chapter doesn't actually mean much by itself; you just have to look at how long Turkey has been stuck in negotiations already...

The thread title and the intro just don't match the facts.

Turkey really should have joined the European Union ages ago—though who knows why it was blocked or who was pulling the strings...
If they had settled this ten years back, things would likely look much different today (and certainly better). It’ll probably be quite a while before the dust settles and everyone truly realizes the cost of stalling their progress.

Compared to its neighbors in the Arab world, Turkey is a true economic and cultural powerhouse—joining the European Union would have only amplified that strength and potentially boosted its influence across the Middle East. When it comes to Islamic nations, they should have been leading those "spring" movements—since it’s now painfully obvious that the others there are just standing around like deer in headlights.

Angela Merkel is playing with fire here. Not everyone is on board with her vision. If countries start actually securing their borders and deploying defense forces, then migrants can either head east or just stay in Turkey if she’s so fond of them.
The anti-immigration sentiment within the European Union is getting so intense that it could easily spiral out of control.
Turkey is playing hardball, and honestly, maybe she’s even part of a larger scheme to trigger mass migration just to destabilize Europe.

Paul Thomas46 said:Turkey really should have joined the European Union ages ago—though who knows why it was blocked or who was pulling the strings...
If they had settled this ten years back, things would likely look much different today (and certainly better). It’ll probably be quite a while before the dust settles and everyone truly realizes the cost of stalling their progress.

Compared to its neighbors in the Arab world, Turkey is a true economic and cultural powerhouse—joining the European Union would have only amplified that strength and potentially boosted its influence across the Middle East. When it comes to Islamic nations, they should have been leading those "spring" movements—since it’s now painfully obvious that the others there are just standing around like deer in headlights.

It all comes down to Germany being terrified that they’d lose their spot as the biggest heavyweight in the European Parliament if things actually moved forward.
Basically, it's just a way to say goodbye to German dominance and hello to Turkish influence taking over instead...

Nancy Smith15 said:It all comes down to Germany being terrified that they’d lose their spot as the biggest heavyweight in the European Parliament if things actually moved forward.
Basically, it's just a way to say goodbye to German dominance and hello to Turkish influence taking over instead...

Maybe they'd be down to take in Turkey if Northern Kurdistan wasn't part of the deal. But since the Turks are clinging to that land like a drunk clings to a lamp post, they aren't budging...

driftingfox66 said:Maybe they'd be down to take in Turkey if Northern Kurdistan wasn't part of the deal. But since the Turks are clinging to that land like a drunk clings to a lamp post, they aren't budging...

Honestly, looking at how messy things are in the Middle East right now, this feels like the perfect moment to finally restore the Kurds to their full Kurdistan, which I think went back as far as 300 BCE if my memory serves me right...
Otherwise, we should probably just side with the Kurds and help them stand up against those stubborn Turks...

Joshua Diaz18 said:The poll doesn't even offer an option, but if I had my way, I'd say we should just fast-track Greece's entry into the union and call it a day.😁

I'm with you, it's about damn time they let 😉
Who cares? Just let them all in—even Albania and Mexico. As for Canada, just get the Office of the High Representative and the High Representative out of there already.

The real question is why the Germans are suddenly flipping the script. They used to swear up and down they’d never let Turkey join the Union, but now Merkel's tossing old promises out the window. She probably knows something we don't (maybe things are getting messy in Turkey, making integration a non-starter anyway). There's definitely a catch with this visit.

driftingfox66 said:Maybe they'd be down to take in Turkey if Northern Kurdistan wasn't part of the deal. But since the Turks are clinging to that land like a drunk clings to a lamp post, they aren't budging...

A fundamental misunderstanding... This won't happen even if the Turks decided to hand over land to the Kurds as a gift. Uncle Joe won't allow it; he needs that leverage to keep Turkey in line if they ever start getting too unruly...

The borders drawn after WWI weren't just casual sketches on a map. They are completely artificial, leaving every single country in that region with unresolved issues that can be exploited whenever it suits someone's interests... which is exactly what we're seeing play out now... (with the slight exception of Iran)...

Paul Thomas46 said:Turkey really should have joined the European Union ages ago—though who knows why it was blocked or who was pulling the strings...
If they had settled this ten years back, things would likely look much different today (and certainly better). It’ll probably be quite a while before the dust settles and everyone truly realizes the cost of stalling their progress.

Compared to its neighbors in the Arab world, Turkey is a true economic and cultural powerhouse—joining the European Union would have only amplified that strength and potentially boosted its influence across the Middle East. When it comes to Islamic nations, they should have been leading those "spring" movements—since it’s now painfully obvious that the others there are just standing around like deer in headlights.

I am of the opinion that the core issue isn't strictly about whether Turkey joins the European Union or not; rather, it seems to stem from the complex dynamics of Turkish-Kurdish relations. Is it truly wise to grant them membership? Perhaps the most beneficial path for all parties involved would be for Turkey to assume a role as an observer or a special partner, wouldn't you agree?

gentlecrane8 said:Angela Merkel is playing with fire here. Not everyone is on board with her vision. If countries start actually securing their borders and deploying defense forces, then migrants can either head east or just stay in Turkey if she’s so fond of them.
The anti-immigration sentiment within the European Union is getting so intense that it could easily spiral out of control.
Turkey is playing hardball, and honestly, maybe she’s even part of a larger scheme to trigger mass migration just to destabilize Europe.

In your estimation, which entity possesses a greater vested interest in the fragmentation of Europe: Russia or the USA?

Nicole Barrett76 said:I am of the opinion that the core issue isn't strictly about whether Turkey joins the European Union or not; rather, it seems to stem from the complex dynamics of Turkish-Kurdish relations. Is it truly wise to grant them membership? Perhaps the most beneficial path for all parties involved would be for Turkey to assume a role as an observer or a special partner, wouldn't you agree?

In your estimation, which entity possesses a greater vested interest in the fragmentation of Europe: Russia or the USA?

Personally, I'm still rooting for full membership.
It sends a powerful message to the neighboring nations—that anything is possible if we pull together. Things are messy right now, and we need to fix them. In my view, stabilizing that entire region won't happen without Turkey acting as a sort of guiding star... especially since most people globally have no clue what's actually happening on the ground there. They resort to violence because they lack any other way to be heard. It's a simplification, perhaps, but that's the core of it. Honestly, I'd much rather see the strongest power in that Islamic world tied to Europe than just wandering aimlessly—mostly for our own sake.

So, if Greece could join based on political decisions (and us along with them, in that regard), then the Turks can too. (And honestly, the economy isn't even the main issue, given they're doing better than us, the Greeks (🤣), Romanians, and Bulgarians combined 🙄).