Turkey and Europe

Available for over a year

Allan Little explores Turkey's relationship with Europe, focussing on the Balkans, once the Western limits of the old Ottoman Empire. Turkish businessmen have been rapidly reforging links with the Balkan states - and some saw this as a first step towards rebuilding bridges to Western Europe. The dream of eventual EU membership was a powerful influence on the early years of the Prime Minister Erdogan's AK Party. However, opposition from France and more recently Germany has made that dream seem unlikely to happen for a generation. Where does Turkey's relationship with the Europe now stand? Producer: Jane Beresford.